Oh aye, that last sentence certainly is truth. You can make the sausage the good way, or the bad way. For instance, say the equipment had been brought home and the servicemen from Afhanistan been relocated to border patrol duties along the southern border and south/west coast. Same cost, or slightly lower, than keeping them in Afghanistan, but a lot more direct gain for the US as such. Then again, that would deprive the Democrats of millions of new voters...