Standing in line at the grocery store the other day, I picked up a copy of Time Magazine and read an article about McCain's intention to discuss Iraq in terms of what we should do now instead of in terms of what we should have done or in terms of mistakes that were made.  Fair enough.  In the coming general election, let's discuss it.  But if McCain wants to talk about strategy, then the cost of that strategy must be on the table in full.  The public needs to have a complete understanding of what the package will cost, and a good way to start is by gaining a comprehensive understanding of what we've already paid.  Bob Herbert has a column about this subject in today's New York Times. 

He quotes Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, who says, "For a fraction of the cost of this war, we could have put Social Security on a sound footing for the next half-century or more."

So what's next in the debate about Social Security? No doubt we will hear Republicans holding forth about "entitlement programs," and how the retirement age needs to be raised.  Really? Too bad. 

Of course, to hear these sanguine assessors of the world order hold forth on the subject, it's merely a matter of degree.  You hear pronouncements such as, "People are living longer now and don't mind working until they're 67 or maybe even 70."

Yeah, well, that's possibly true if you're a congressman or a senator with a cushy set-up, and plenty of room in which to kick back during the day on a nice leather sofa and ponder the universe. 

Peddle that jive to a guy who earns his living on the shop floor, though, in a manufacturing plant that's not air conditioned.  That guy wants to work until he's 70? I don't think so.  Drag him into the shop that long, make him stand around on the hard floor and sweat that long, and the guy won't be 70, he'll be dead. 

As I understand it, the body breaks down as you age. 

Herbert's makes an excellent point in his column.  The war should not be discussed solely in terms of military strategy.  The public needs to understand the cost as well, especially in terms of what it means for their retirement and quality of life. 

A lot of us have been paying into Social Security since we were 16, thank you very much, and we wouldn't mind collecting some of the money prior to being planted in the ground.