According to a report in The Washington Post, Gen. David Petraeus and other American military commanders were given access to $5 billion in discretionary funds to spend on various projects like a now-defunct $1 million water park in Baghdad. Here are some of the places the money went to:
- $10 million—Free "I Love the Surge" bumper sticker and T-shirt program
- $13 million—Retrofitting Saddam's sex palace to create municipal sex library
- $125,000—Amphibious, duck-shaped Tigris River tour boat
- $300,000—Funyuns Military Blend
- $9,000—The Offspring's booking fee
- $100 million—Given to this guy who promised he would build a chain of really awesome after-school clubs and skate parks but who, in retrospect, was probably Muqtada al-Sadr
- $7.1 million—Really nice big statue of Muhammad to cheer everyone in Baghdad up
- $6 million—Ultimately abandoned Frank Gehry blueprints for Iraq's entire infrastructure
- $4 million—Dance hall; men only
- $60 million—Blowing up bridge E.U. forces need to leave