White House to request as much as $100 billion more for war

USA Today reports that "Congress expects the White House to request as much as $100 billion this year for war and related costs in Iraq and Afghanistan, congressional officials say.

It would be the third and largest Iraq-related budget request from the White House yet, and it could push the war's costs over $200 billion - far above initial White House estimates of $50 billion-$60 billion. So far, the Iraq war has cost about $130 billion, according to the White House's Office of Management and Budget."

Oops!

I don't think I need to tell anyone, liberal or conservative, that we have spent or are going to spend too much on this damn war, and that this is $100 billion we could be spending on stuff at home. Of course, that doesn't mean Congress won't rubber stamp it like they did the last time. I hope at least some Republicans fight it, though it doesn't help on our side we have people like Joe Lieberman slobbering over the prospect of voting for it and showing he "supports out troops."

Not only that, but this is going to add $100 billion more to our already record budget defecit of $413 billion dollars. The White House needs to explain how we are going to pay for this. Repealing the tax cuts for high income earners might not be such a bad idea after all. Or tell you what, just stop trying to "reform" (read: privatize) Social Security or weave any other such fiscal disaster.

And who is this fool?

"'I hope they ask for something big,' said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. 'Look, this is a test of wills. We need to show our enemies that we are not going to do this on the cheap. '"

Does he really believe that's what this shows our enemies? What it actually shows them is they're succeeding! We've spent way past what he ever thought we would have to and definitely more than we wanted to. But leave it to Republicans to spin this, as they have everything, as a "us vs. the terrorists" issue. No doubt they will say, as they did last time, that anyone who votes against the supplemental package will be "emboldening the terrorists."

But I digress...