David Fry

Beyond the cost as measured in human lives and our international reputation, the war in Iraq has had a financial cost of more than $600 billion. This money is the missed opportunity of a generation. We've paid, and will continue to pay, so that the Bush administration can destabilize Iraq and engender hatred of America and the west.

In an effort to show these missed opportunities, Boston.com ran a special this week -- 'What can $611 Billion Buy?'

I had expected these to be light-hearted examples - along the lines of 'enough Twizzlers to reach from here to the Sun'. There were a few in that vein, like a 70,000 year contract for Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. But most of the examples were quite serious - better schools, college tuition, and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. There are a lot of great suggestions, but #9 was the best, A Real War on Poverty:

According to World Bank estimates, $54 billion a year would eliminate starvation and malnutrition globally by 2015, while $30 billion would provide a year of primary education for every child on earth.

At the upper range of those estimates, the $611 billion cost of the war could have fed and educated the world's poor for seven years.

Can you imagine a world where starvation and malnutrition are eliminated, and children are educated? If we truly want stability in the world, there is no amount of money we can spend sending guns and ammunition to Iraq that will get us closer to that goal. But a commitment to the international community to address the root causes of human suffering and political strife can help bring peace and stability to the poorest countries on Earth.

I think that Americans are caring and charitable people and it's time our foreign policy reflects our national character. With Barack Obama in the White House, we'll have a foreign policy we can be proud of.

Cross posted to my.barackobama.com.