A federal audit of $9.1 billion targeted for reconstruction in Iraq cannot account for more than 95 percent of it, a federal report said Tuesday.

This is about more than just the economy. While war’s certainly do drain the economy, as Paul and Frank write, “…the idea that as a superpower it is our duty to maintain stability by intervening in civil disorders virtually anywhere in the world often generates anger directed at us and may in the end do more harm than good.” It would do us well to listen.

Statistics about non-economic matters can be manipulated as well. One of the most disturbing is regarding war casualties from Iraq. The government has a great incentive to downplay the number of Americans who have died in Iraq as to make the cost of the war look smaller and not surprisingly, they’ve taken full advantage of it.