Cost of war is our burden, not our kids

[CShine]

We must do what's necessary to maximize our chances of success in Iraq because the potential consequences of failure are so dire. But the true scale of "what's necessary" is only slowly beginning to dawn on Congress and the American people.

After denying for months that estimates of spending on Iraq were even possible, the White House leaked word two weeks ago that it would seek $60 billion to $70 billion in the 2004 budget, on top of the $79 billion that had already been appropriated for the war and occupation.

That drew gasps from members of Congress, Republican and Democrat alike, who had been told last spring by top Bush officials that the reconstruction of Iraq could be financed largely through oil revenues. Congress had already been trying to come to grips with the news that next year's budget deficit was estimated to reach $480 billion, by far the biggest deficit on record. Another $70 billion would push the deficit to well over half-a-trillion dollars.

Those gasps turned to howls Sunday night, when President Bush told the nation that he would actually be seeking $87 billion in next year's budget to cover the costs of occupation. And even that startling figure had an important asterisk to it.

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/bookman/index.html