Mike and O.....I agree with both of you. We can speculate until the cows come home, but it won't change the fact that the money spent on the war is gone, and the war certainly had a huge impact on the economy. War always does.

Heard a comedian say once, "The only way for the US to get out of debt is declare war on France and surrender immediately." (I don't remember what country he used, but you get the point...war is expensive...not just in the warring, but in the rebuilding after as well).