Democrats: Bush's latest $25 billion request for Iraq is misleadingly low

[Lori Price CLG]

Democrats: Bush's latest $25 billion request for Iraq is misleadingly low

Democrats are lambasting President (sic) Bush for his $25 billion request for fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (Halliburton) next year, saying they will support the money but accusing him of low-balling the amount for political reasons.

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[pfitz59]

1. War-profiteering.....

Time to audit the MOFO's!

[truthisfreedom]

2. by about 100B? mark my words.

100 billion dollars, ladies and gentlemen. or should i make it 200Billion?

[AlinPA]

3. Done to put Kerry in a position to vote for it. n/t

[Frodo]

4. For it or against it - they have a ready-made spin.

It will either hurt him here or hurt him in the middle.

[dusty64]

5. I would have to imagine

this would backfire on them. There was a great deal of outrage during their last request for huge $$$ while this country falls apart at the seams. Lets talk about the taxcut and spend rethugs and their utter failure to manage anything correctly.

[hang a left]

6. *ucking Enablers!!!!!

Isn't this money an advance from next years budget. That is how I read the story in LBN when it broke. Of course the Dems will scream and yell and name call, right up to and then after they give it to him. They are a joke!!!! They are complicit in the draining of our treasury, every single one of them.

[w4rma]

11. They *have* to fund the troops, or they have to bring them home. (nt)

[hang a left]

12. How do we know they are out of money?

Where did the first 87 B go? Where is the oversight? Is it just more profiteering?

[atreides1]

16. That's The Problem

We have little to no proof that any of this money will even reach the troops. Where did the $87 billion dollars go that they got ladst year.

There is still a shortage of body armor, armored humvees, and other things that the troops needed.

Before they authorize this money they need to find out what happened to the money from last year.

[maddezmom]

7. Pelosi Statement on Administration's $25 Billion

By requesting just $25 billion in additional money for our troops in Iraq -- when we know that at least twice that amount will be needed -- the Bush Administration is once again keeping the true cost of the war from the American people.

"For weeks, despite the increased fighting in Iraq and the continued loss of our brave soldiers, the President and the Secretary of Defense have maintained that an additional funding request could not be submitted before the November election because it was impossible to know the right amount.

"We need to know how the Administration all of a sudden decided that it needed $25 billion since many experts -- including the House Budget Committee -- have concluded that at least $50 billion in additional funding will be necessary to provide our troops with the equipment and support they need to accomplish their mission.

"We must give the troops what they need to be successful under increasingly risky conditions. And the President must tell the hard truth to the American people about how much longer our troops will remain in Iraq and how much more it will cost." SOURCE Office of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi



http://www.boston.com/dailynews/127/wash/_Pelosi_Statement_on_Administr:.shtml

[NewYorkerfromMass]

8. Who knows or understands what is enough?

The last trip to the till was for 87 billion, but 20 billion (I believe) was free for all kinds of Bush crime family discretionary handouts.
If it's 50 or 100 billion who will understand that?
The Dems need to make a detailed (yet simple) presentation of what the actual costs of a direct war effort should be.

[Az_lefty]

9. Kerry needs to jump on this

they have accused him of voting agains certain defense contracts and not supporting the war (not true) now bush IS low balling this and not providing funding the proper funding. In othe words, the troops aren't going to get the supplies they need to defend themselves.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

10. They already sent them in without body armor etc....

Bush's logistics sucked. They still don't have the body armor.

[hang a left]

13. So what did they do with the first 87 Billion.

I want an accounting!

[BattyDem]

15. Exactly!

Our soldiers don't have armor-plated vehicles or Kevlar vests. I've also read that they've been cut to one meal a day. So where the f*ck did all that money go?? Maybe if they weren't paying each mercenary $1000 a day, we'd be able to afford some equipment for our troops. Maybe if we hired Iraqis to rebuild Iraq, instead of paying Halliburton and the other the war-profiteering scum, we'd have some money left!

This doesn't have to be a no-win situation for Kerry. All he has to do is point out how Bushco funneled all the money to private corporations by hiring them to do the jobs our troops should be doing, while leaving our troops under-equipped.

[Az_lefty]

14. Your right, this a continuation of the same "do it on the cheap" policy

[NewYorkerfromMass]

17. nothing cheap about it.

In lives or dollars or our nation's reputation.