After spending years in construction and over $700 million, the U.S. embassy in Baghdad has opened. $700 million. What on earth could have made the embassy cost so much? Sitting on 104 acres, the embassy is actually made up of 21 buildings, including 6 apartment buildings, a mini mall, a school, swimming pools, barracks, warehouses, and other facilities. An embassy worker could spend his entire tour of duty inside the compound without mixing with the general Iraqi population -- which was probably the idea in the first place. No mention of whether the facility included a shoe store.
After this, we don't want to hear any wingnuts complaining about the "cost" of universal health insurance for Americans.
