With the presidential election a mere thirty days away, an economy in crisis, and personal finance woes, international engagement fades in the background. The Iraq war, still a huge portion of the U.S. budget, takes a backseat to financial woes and the economy in current polls. Still, inquiring minds wonder, how much are we spending on the war in Iraq?

Answering a question such as how much are we spending on the war in Iraq requires sifting through dozens of supplemental funding bills passed over the past five years. Most of the money used to fund the wary comes from U.S. taxpayers. U.S. citizens contributed approximately 0 billion to the war effort as of June 2008. This breaks down to billion dollars a month and a whopping ,000 per second.

Deployment of one U.S. soldier for one year costs taxpayers near 0,000. The average U.S. soldier earns a salary of ,000 per year. Although we are entering the sixth year of the Iraq war, costs continue to rise, with a .5 billion per month cost in 2008 as compared to a .4 billion per month cost in 2003. This gap may prove staggering, but the Washington continues to state a need for further spending, with President Bush requesting an additional 0 billion in supplemental funding to cover the war through the rest of this year.

Some may want further answers, such as how much are we spending on the war in Iraq for weapons, parts, and security? Much of the spending in Iraq, especially in 2008, is allocated to private security contractors. Once the U.S. removes its soldiers from the area, these contractors move in to support diplomats and agencies continuing the rebuilding effort. As the combat portion of the war drew to a close, the amount of funding to these organizations increased dramatically, to a total of billion from 2003 to 2007, with the majority funded by the State Department.

Those that cite the Iraqi surplus now approaching billion question the amount that the U.S. is spending for rebuilding and security in the country, especially when Iraq allocates a fraction of its budget to redevelopment.

Not all of taxpayer money is actually accounted for in the results of the war. Many machine parts, weapons, and other equipment never find their way to battle, grossing to about billion in 2007. According to the Pentagon Inspector General, the majority of this loss is attributed to mismanagement of funds allocated to Iraqi security forces. Similarly, the Pentagon also reported that Haliburton overcharged the government approximately .4 billion during the same year, after receiving a total of billion.

Asking responsible questions like how much are we spending on the war in Iraq is essential during an election year. As the contest for the presidency draws to a close, we must remember to demand answers to the tough questions.