What would happen if the US "LOST" in a war against Iran?

What is this about the US not being able to afford another war?

The US is in less debt AS A PERCENTAGE (which is what actually matters) than the following nations:

Japan
United Kingdom ( an amazing 7.1 trillion dollars, thats over 6 times their economy! Yet, they're still moving forward )
Germany
France
Italy
Spain
Netherlands
Switzerland
Sweden
Belgium
Ireland

and more smaller nations

The US has been in worse debt problems in the past, such as WWII and we got through that just fine.

Source: CIA factbook

Originally posted by arkansasmedic
What is this about the US not being able to afford another war?

The US is in less debt AS A PERCENTAGE (which is what actually matters) than the following nations: United Kingdom ( an amazing 7.1 trillion dollars, thats over 6 times their economy! Yet, they're still moving forward )Source: CIA factbook

I think you'll find that the figure you quote as debt is actually Gross Domestic Product (national income), and is $1.7 tn

Predicted UK debt-to-GDP ratio in the last Chancellors budget was calculated to be 42% for 2006 (source)
In comparison to US debt-to-GDP ratio forecasts of over 65% for the same period, with a predicted increase to 70% and more by 2008!(source)

The only way the US will be able to finance a war with Iran is if other nations agree to continue bailing out the US economy by buying yet more of the US debt, which as the debt-to-GDP ratio increases, makes it an increasingly riskier financial option for foreign nation-investors to hold. As the 'coalition nations' are unlikely to be willing to go into another phoney war, the US will have to go it alone, and risk bursting the bubble of an already fragile economy