An old joke that had plagued George W. Bush for years before his death had a particular sting because of its caustic innuendo regarding his dim-wittedness. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, as the joke goes, had a meeting with his Commander-In-Chief to offer a briefing on the Iraq war. "Mr. President," Rumsfeld said, "I'm pleased to report that there's good news and bad news. The good news is that we seem to be making progress toward Iraq's becoming a democracy. The bad news is that I've just learned that three Brazilian soldiers were killed today in downtown Baghdad." Visibly distraught over the news, Bush turned pale, the color drained from his face. Shaken and speechless, he asked Rumsfeld to get him a glass of water. After Bush had calmed somewhat, and seemed to regain his composure, Rumsfeld asked, "Sir, are you alright?" With tears welling up in his eyes, yet back in control of his emotions, Bush turned to Rumsfeld and said, "Yeah, Rummy, I'm okay. But tell me, exactly how many is a brazillian?"
The war had killed ten thousand U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Now reports were trickling in from Iran, where already a hundred U.S. soldiers had died. The tragic consequences of war were that men who truly loved their country were sent to die for unjust causes, all for unjust reasons. Ever since World War II, industrialists recognized how profitable war could be. So, they invested millions of dollars and countless hours of energy in dumbing-down Congress and assorted Presidential administrations in an unabashed attempt to maintain the massive profitability of the new, huge military-industrial complex in the U.S.A. First there was the Korean Conflict; then the Cold War; the Cuban Missile Crisis; the Vietnam War; and Desert Storm. Added to those major events were a number of smaller skirmishes, all requiring the goods and services provided by the armaments industry. Everything from guns and ammo to tanks and fighterjets to k-rations and reconstruction services, the U.S. government was the largest - and often, only - customer of companies like McDonnell-Douglas, Halliburton, General Electric, Westinghouse, Boeing, and dozens of other huge corporations. Helicopters, tanks, missiles and bombs were among the most disposable products sold to the federal government. Many of these companies also sold their products to other nations around the world. The demand for weapons of mass destruction was, indeed, a massive market that generated mega-millions in profits for these mammoth corporations. Dick Cheney, after becoming CEO of an insignificant company called Halliburton which had floundered in obscurity for 75 years, quickly turned its fortunes around through the magic of lucrative government contracts. The Iraqi war of the 1990's had been a boondoggle for Halliburton, which appropriately rewarded Cheney with lavish bonuses. Once he resigned and became Vice-President of the United States of America, his ties to Halliburton - though adamantly denounced and denied - were closer than ever. Billions of dollars were being funneled through secret channels that could buy influence, bribe the necessary Congressmen, and continue the rape and pillage of taxpayers' money.
Now, the Iran "war" proved to be even more profitable since the U.S. invasion was not sanctioned by the United Nations and was only supported by troops from one other country: France. That gave Halliburton virtual 'carte blanche' to do anything it wanted, at whatever price it wanted to charge the U.S. taxpayers. Until the events of January 17, 2008, Halliburton executives were slathered in billions of excessive profits. Suddenly, as the Halliburton headquarters crashed into chunks of debris, such excess stopped. Halliburton employees in Iraq and Iran were without supervision, direction, or compensation.
As American troops had wallowed in uncertainty for three months now, contracted government suppliers and vendors weren't sure where their orders would come from, or when - and if - they would be paid for their services. Without the motivation of money, many of these independent contractors jumped ship and left the middle east. Some returned to America' others disappeared into other regions of the world. Chaos spread throughout the region as military actions dwindled to nothing. There seemed to be no reason to fight if no one knew who they were fighting for anymore. Interim President Colin Powell, as Interim Commander-In-Chief, had only given vague, broad orders: "Stop all military action until further notice." Some generals in the field disobeyed the orders and continued local battles; other commanders simply put their troops at bay, hunkered down and determined only to protect their own facilities. Military action, while not coming to a total end, was certainly dramatically reduced. Without an enemy to fight, insurgents in Iraq and Iran decided not to waste their limited resources on non-existent battles. Ironically, without any kind of truce or peace initiative being proclaimed, people stopped fighting. Could peace truly be at hand?