Democrats: Iraq Request Shows Unrealistic Prewar Planning

[Nambe]

Associated Press

Democratic senators maintained Tuesday that President Bush's request for an additional $87 billion, mostly for Iraq, buttresses contentions the administration seriously miscalculated the cost of going to war there.

At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, the panel's top Democrat, Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, noted that the administration had rejected estimates before the war that an Iraq conflict could cost $100 billion to $200 billion. The new $87 billion request is in addition to the $79 billion that Congress approved last spring.

Addressing Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, Levin said "you told Congress in March that 'we are dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon.' Talk about rosy scenarios," Levin said. ---

Democrats are using the money request to argue that the administration didn't plan adequately for the war's aftermath, was overly optimistic about Iraqi and international cooperation and foolishly pushed through tax cuts even as the war aggravated a growing deficit. ---

[damnraddem]

1. Using the budget request to argue what is glaringly obvious.

Too bad they didn't see it so clearly before. But now, it has to be used to beat around the Bushies as much as possible.

[cliss]

2. ...and yet, they went along with it.

Where's personal responbility in this? It's interesting how they all point accusing fingers (some Democrats too) now that it's a big fat flop.

Anyway, can't you just see the many, many months & years of all this planning to invade Iraq? It's easy to visualize a room full of pompous fools, all jabbering and whipping each other up and, "yes, we'll make Trillions on this plan! We'll include our good buddies at Hallitosis, Kellog BrownTurd & RootCanal, Bucktel and WorldCon.

With no basis in reality, they probably sat there hour after hour, working out the last details on how it would be done. All based on thin air.

One has to wonder what loco weed they were smoking at the time.

(not vindictive, just very interested in the outcome of this)