Aides said about three-fourths of the $80 billion was expected to be for the Army, which is bearing the brunt of the fighting in Iraq. It also was expected to include money for building a U.S. embassy in Baghdad, which has been estimated to cost $1.5 billion.
Well for one, the parks you mentioned don't need to be worried about bombs blowing up at their front gate or mortor rounds landing on the roof. Then there are the electronic security equipment needed. Don't know how much of the allocated funds that'll be but I suppose a chunk.
I always wonder if these things are creative accounting... maybe some of that wad of cash gets shuffled to something else. Like covering the cost of the war effort, but I guess the whole 1.5B isn't much of a dent, anyway.
Having worked on new high schools that were 400 thousand square feet and a price tag around 50 million. I'd have to say 1.5 billion should build one heck of a structure.
Considering it will be the modern version of Fort Apache, my guess is it's going to be big, fortified like crazy and filled with really expensive spying equipment. The ghost of Tehran lingers nearby and no pol ever wants that to happen again, especially not on their watch. As such, the expense doesn't surprise me.
