GOP lawmakers want Bush to pay rising costs of Iraq war now

[Barrett808]

GOP lawmakers want Bush to pay rising costs of Iraq war now
By Esther Schrader and Janet Hook
Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON — With bills piling up from the deepening war in Iraq, pressure is mounting on war planners in Washington to come up with additional money to pay for the conflict.

Republicans in Congress complained yesterday that the Bush administration's plans to delay a request for more money until early next year is unrealistic. And the nation's top military official, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers, said the growing violence is pushing the cost of the war far over budget, threatening a $4 billion shortfall by late summer.

The war is costing about $4.7 billion a month, officials said.

...

Visibly angry, Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., said the Army had told his subcommittee that it had nearly $6 billion in unappropriated budget requests.

"I think the budget request that is provided to us is short-sighted and, in the case of the Army, I think it is outrageous," Weldon said. "How can we justify that?"

...

Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., said he sensed election-year politics was a factor in the administration's delay. "The administration would be well-served here to come forward now, be honest about this, because the continuity and the confidence in this policy is going to be required to sustain it," Hagel said. "And that means be honest with the Congress, be honest with the American people."

Hagel said it would cost an additional $50 billion to $75 billion "to sustain us in Iraq for this year."

(more)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001909639_iraqcosts22.html

[livetohike]

1. Bush should use his campaign "war chest"

to pay for the war.

[rooboy]

3. Even better - sell all the Bush family assets. n/t

[Tellurian]

15. great idea...and raise more on the campaign trail..

uh,huh!

[truthspeaker]

2. "be honest with the Congress, be honest with the American people."

I suppose there's a first time for everything.

[Dhalgren]

6. Hey, but it's a Republican asking for it!

"The administration would be well-served here to come forward now, be honest about this, because the continuity and the confidence in this policy is going to be required to sustain it," coming from a big-time Puke? That's got to be hard for Cheney to hear. He has his hands full running the country, making sure his cronies are looked after, murdering people in Iraq, and trying to suppress any democratic feeling from arising in the US - hey, he's only one man. ANd now his own (nominal) Party is saying he should tell the truth?! That's has got to be pissing Cheney off! I think you can hear his pace-maker whirring all the way from his undisclosed location.

[aquart]

13. Congress worried about the elections?

Sounds like their distancing themselves from that nasty man.

[RoyGBiv]

4. Bush to pay rising costs of Iraq

I'd go for that. Make him and Cheney, etc. pay personally. Start billing Halliburton.

[wryter2000]

5. Defections? Revolution from other Repugs?

One can hope.

[AlCzervik]

20. Dont forget the great

desertion of the GOP in 92, they left 41 in the dust.

[Az_lefty]

7. Bush is playing Three Card Monte

with the funding for Iraq. Redirecting funds from the War on terrorism to prep for the invasion of Iraq, and now trying to hide the increasing costs until after the election. This is so outrageous that even the Repub's are having trouble with it.

[July]

17. He wins, anyway, just like in Three Card Monte.

The GOP gets what it wants domestically, thanks to Bush's bankrupting of the treasury through an unnecessary war. Instead of ending payments to Halliburton, we're going to cut domestic programs. GOP loving it.

[denverbill]

8. To Shrub, being reelected is more important than our troops.

What the hell does silver-spoon care about a couple hundred thousand pawns anyway? The important thing is that he gets reelected.

[zbdent]

9. Ruh-roh, Reorge!

Hoo, boy! Could this spell trouble for our beloved leader?

[KayLaw]

10. OMG!

Fiscally responsible Republicans? It's hard to believe.

[MasonJar]

11. The pugs are up for re-election too; they will throw their boy to the

wolves if they have to.

[trogdor]

18. Somebody said Hagel isn't up again until '06.

I think he's probably more worried about what would happen if Sen. Kerry proposed a bill to pay for Iraq before the 'pugs did.

[NNN0LHI]

12. I guess $1500 dollars a day mercenaries can get real costly?

Its OK though, because as Chimp Boy likes to tell us "its your money".

Don

[NashVegas]

14. Let His Barons Pay For It - They're Getting Their Fiefs

Negroponte
Perle
Bremer
Cheney
Chalabi

[damnraddem]

16. The Bushistas don't know how to be honest.

And if they did, they couldn't afford to be.

[maxsolomon]

19. deficits or taxes only way to pay

those GOP naysayers should SHUT UP until those oil receipts start coming in.

whats that? they belong to the iraqi people? then what are we getting for our taxes & debt?

i know! saudi overseers!