"Every six hours, we have another billion-dollar deficit"

US Cost for Libya Role Mounts Rapidly

"Calculating the U.S. price tag for the no-fly zone in Libya is hardly simple math.

Four nights of a U.S. and European assault easily tops hundreds of millions of dollars as the international coalition seeks to undermine Moammar Gadhafi's air defenses and save the rebels from likely defeat. The cost could rise moderately if the U.S. role is limited, with the Pentagon using its existing budget to cover the expense, or it could jump significantly if the operation drags on for weeks or months.

As of Tuesday, the coalition had fired at least 162 sea-launched Tomahawk missiles priced at $1 million to $1.5 million apiece and dispatched B-2 stealth bombers -- round-trip from Missouri -- to drop 2,000-pound bombs on Libyan sites.

Total flying time: 25 hours. Operating cost for one hour: at least $10,000.

Yet those numbers only provide part of the costs."