The monthly cost of the war in Iraq: $2 billion. The cost, so far, to the average family of four: more than $20,000. With the economy faltering and the first primaries just weeks away, Nation Editor Katrina vanden Heuvel argues that candidates need to be hammering home the staggering economic cost of the war. In a Campaign 2008 blog post, vanden Heuvel writes that the Democratic contenders need to speak clearly about how we can use the billions squandered in Iraq to fund desperately needed priorities. In this VideoNation commentary, vanden Heuvel takes the argument to Iowa, looking at the economic toll of the war on communities across the first primary state.