POP QUIZ: Look at the image on the right. Do you know what that's a picture of? Is it:
- Freedom Tower, NYC
- US Embassy, Iraq
If you make your choice based on price, there's no difference. That's right: the new US embassy in Iraq is projected to cost as much as the Freedom Tower currently being constructed on the former World Trade Center site.
From the AP:
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.
And the
Freedom Tower:
On July 4, 2004, New York Governor Pataki, New Jersey Governor McGreevey, and New York City Mayor Bloomberg laid the cornerstone for Freedom Tower. The skyscraper, estimated to cost $1.5 billion, is expected to be ready for its first occupants by late 2008, while construction on the site in general is expected to last through 2015.
Folks, this is going to be one hell of an embassy!