Bush May Seek Billions for Iraq After Election

[IJ Reilly]

Surprise!
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush may seek an additional $40 billion or more for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan next year -- on top of the $400-billion military budget he will send to Congress next month, congressional sources and budget analysts said on Wednesday.

But Bush is unlikely to send the request to Congress until after the November presidential election to minimize any political damage, the sources said.

Bush's Democratic challengers have criticized the high cost of the war in Iraq and its chaotic aftermath. They say Iraq has cost $120 billion so far despite initial administration assurances that it would be "an affordable endeavor."

White House budget officials said it is premature to speculate about an emergency war supplemental for the 2005 fiscal year starting Oct. 1.

But congressional sources said preliminary planning is underway and a request would be send to Congress in late 2004 or early 2005.
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[amnesiac1984]

Originally posted by IJ Reilly
Surprise!

More... (http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?floc=NW_1-T&oldflok=FF-RTO-roptz&idq=/ff/story/0002%2F20040121%2F1637325198.htm)

I read that one of the Democrat Candidates also wanted ot send a lot more money to iraq/afghanistan

link (http://edition.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/special/president/issues/index.international.html)

I think it was clark who seems to be planning to send "resources" It could go either way if he was elected. But I like what geophardt (sp?) says about the U.N

[zimv20]

from the article

But Bush is unlikely to send the request to Congress until after the November presidential election to minimize any political damage, the sources said


????

the damage is already done, for those who believe it (and it seems plausible to me)

if bush is (re?)elected, i predict a draft

[Macmaniac]

Man, where the 87 billion go?? Dang, and they can't get the power or water to stay on!
Sheesh they could fix a lot of schools for that!

[IJ Reilly]

Originally posted by zimv20
the damage is already done, for those who believe it (and it seems plausible to me)

Not really. The Bush campaign can continue to talk around the issue until the request is formally submitted and debated (to the extent anything is debated anymore) in the House. Remember, a year ago the administration was treating as so much hooey the suggestion that the Iraq adventure would cost as much as $50 billion. Nobody seems to recall that evasion at all anymore.

[alxths]

You know what else he may do? Grow wings and fly away.. it's true, think about it.

[Dont Hurt Me]

Bush is spending and spending, even Republican senator Mccain today said there was 11 billion in pork in that big spending bill he wants all those congressman to sign and sign they will. almost everyone of those guys is getting pork. we need a fiscal conservative in office and thats why im voting democrat this next election. George cant seem to stop it. who is watching congress? if he wants to spend another dime in Iraq he better get them to pay us back at least in oil?

[mactastic]

Bush's daddy was smart enough in his coalition building that we came very close to making money off the 1991 Gulf War. I don't see how it's fair, or morally acceptable, to invade a country, then demand that they pay us back for it. We need to prove to the Iraqis and the rest of the world that we are there for selfless reasons, and I see demanding payment from the conquered as not only selfish but humiliating for the defeated.

Since so many want to make analogies to appeasement during WWII, we also need to realize that the humiliating terms handed to the Germans at the end of WWI went a long way towards bringing on WWII. Humiliating your enemy is on the Things-Not-To-Do list Sun Tzu wrote many many years ago. No, we broke it, therefore we have now bought it no matter what the cost in blood (American and Iraqi and a few other nationalities) or treasure.