Remind Me Again: Who's Paying For Iraq?

Our economy is in the toilet and Iraq is looking at an enormous surplus?

Soaring oil prices will leave the Iraqi government with a cumulative budget surplus of as much as $79 billion by year’s end, according to an American federal oversight agency. But Iraq has spent only a minute fraction of that on reconstruction costs, which are now largely borne by the United States.

Remind me again; Who's side are the Iraqi's on? How much is this "Global War on Terror costing the American people? You can look here, or here. Either way, you have to wonder how the Bush Administration got our National Priorities all twisted around to lace us so tightly to Iraq as the first ever Nation Welfare State covered by another (that'd be USA).

It's ironic, no? I thought the Republicans were against welfare and other social programs, but it seems like we are married to Iraq and there's nary a dowry contribution to be found beyond the lives we sucked out of them for the privilege of becoming inextricably linked to the big kitty litter box that is Iraq.