The late Senator Everett Dirksen of Illinois used to say, “a billion here, a billion there…pretty soon we’re talking about real money.”
Senator Dirksen would shaking his head now at the billions upon billions that flow into a black hole called the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
The Bush administration is planning to seek another $100 billion for military operations in the two countries for this year and yet another $145 billion for 2008. That will bring the cost to more than $300 billion over the next two years.
Writes Andrew Taylor of The Associated Press:
For 2009, the White House assumes spending will be down to $50 billion, with no funding planned beyond then in hopes the war in Iraq will have wound down.
Bush has said his five-year plan will bring a balanced budget by 2012, but the claim has met with some skepticism from Democrats since the White House has declined to forecast long-term war costs.
“If we’re successful carrying out the president’s current policy, we would hope that we’d begin to have less of a financial commitment even in this fiscal year,” said the senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the budget won’t be unveiled until Monday. “This is our best guess.”
The spiraling war spending  up from $120 billion approved by Congress for 2006  is largely to replace equipment destroyed in combat or worn out in harsh conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Iraq requests are certain to face scrutiny by the Democratic-controlled Congress, which is debating whether to try to block Bush’s request to increase troop levels in Iraq to quell the burgeoning violence in Baghdad.
War critics also say the Pentagon is using war funding requests to modernize the armed services with weaponry  such as the next-generation Joint Strike Fighters or the controversial V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft  unlikely to see action in Iraq or Afghanistan.
12 thoughts on “Bush seeking billions to fund his wars”
Ah, I remember back in the day when the real patriots of this country (if you want to use patriot – I wouldn’t – I prefer stewards or conservers or people who actually like it here on this part of the planet), took their opinions to the street – the real ones. Boy oh boy did we crank out TV ratings and we actually got a glimpse into what kind of dung holes our commander in chief(s) and his side kicks have gotten us into now.
Now we all hide anonymously behind our computer screens rather than gathering together to show those who some of us are. We are afraid to take it to the street. SO WE THE PEOPLE (refer to the Declaration of Independence) don’t like the way they are handling things.
If anyone posting here or on any other blog actually believes that Dubya and his gangsters are telling the truth about anything – I do know of a real good lobotomist I could refer you to – I think old Josef Mengele or some of his trainees are still somewhere in Brazil or living in comfort obtained while attempting to build a “superior race” aka white boys.
We are given the message of the day. One can chose to swallow it, wipe off our lips, and go “Gawd that was good!” or one can attempt to swallow it and choke on all of the trash or one can simply draw his/her own conclusions based on observation.
Eventually those in support of dubya and his “knights” will find out the truth – or a redacted copy of it (one with lots of black magic marker that keeps the real truth from being told) and will slap their knee and go “well I’ll be damned” and of course you already are if you be bitin’ on dubya’s ideas.
This is a real simple one for me – don’t know about the rest of you dubya mind warps – but we need to first and foremost bring our men and women serving in any unfriendly country where the people in that country are willing to blow their own people up en masse just to get those 72 virgins allegedly waiting for them and perhaps catch a few US troops or civies. If we are concerned about another attact on the US – fine – use the troops over there OVER HERE – DUH!
We certainly have enough serving to help check anyone and everyone getting on a plane, train, crossing from Canada or Mexico or even Cuba and take time to find out if anyone of those folks is a threat to the US (or to us in the US).
Does that approach 100% guarantee that some one some where in the US won’t blow up a post office or govenrment building? Nope. But I suspect it will give most of our military members a better quality of life knowing that it is their job from keeping ja*ka()es from hurting their family and friends right under their noses.
I know Jennifer personally. I may not be as zealous and loyal a reader of this blog as she is, but I do like to drop by every now and then to see what dubya-ite is spittin’ fire on those who actually “get it”…the boy from Texas has blown it. He is stupid, listens to the wrong folks (aka with a political rating as low as he has now, he sure is not looking out for the interests of the majority of Amerikans). Dude, where is your brain? Or did Cheny shoot that out your ears in some private session ‘tween you and him.
I truly feel sorry for Laura B. She has got to be so embarrassed by that moron she is bound to for the time being and girlfriend I hope you have a pack of lawyers drawing up the divorce decree and sucking that joker dry.
65+% of American’s can’t be wrong – Dubya needs to be gone, and gone quickly. I’m not too busy working right now – I could probably fit his job in and do 10 times better even with no “experience” (does it require you to be stupid to be president?)
Boys and girls – red or blue – let’s take this mother to the streets. Let’s truly stand up and be counted. And let’s do what the Declaration of Independence requires of us…”Whenin the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, â€â€PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THESE NEXT WORDS: That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.  Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present…is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”
Let’s throw in the amendments, the Bill of Right, and do what the “founding fathers” wanted, expected, and made us responsible for – getting rid of idiots (aka impeachment) and quit spending my future and the future of our children and grand children on some country that really doesn’t want us for anything more than to use our “toys” and our money instead of using their own.
Think Monopoly on this one folks – the one with the most money at the end of the game wins – and if we keep spending over there what we need to be spending and saving over here – we lose by fault – our own for being chickensh*ts loyal to some rich momma’s boy who has a history of alcohol and cocaine dependencies. Yahoooooooooooooo – got nothing better to do – let’s see what happens when I press this big ol’ red button.
’nuff said.
It’s time to be takin’ it to the streets.
America’s ignorance is America’s worst enemy.
Americans care more about sports, Hollywood scandals, and so-called “reality” TV than they do the responsibility one should practice in order to see that the country they live in runs as it should.
Most Americans do NOT have the intelligence to vote for a candidate.
They get soundbytes, and censored news media reports, never mind the current two party system is ONE PARTY away from a dictatorship.
Add to this, the flawed economy, and the current state of the US currency being in the hands of central banks and you have a recipie for total disaster.
Ignorace allows this to continue.
Most Americans are lazy, and ignorant (uneducated) by their own choice, and their ignorance and apathy have allowed this current state of affairs to become what it is and will become.
Those Americans who are not ignorant and lazy will have to tow the line for the slackers, or else we all go down.
Illegals invading the US must end.
Endless spending without accountability must end.
Political scandals without accountability must cease at once.
If congress does not hold those in government accountable and speak for the American people who’ve elected them to office, then congress must be held accountable.
It’s time for Americans to understand action will solve this, and standing by doing nothing will only enable it to escalate into a heightened condition of misery for all in the US.
It seems quite clear that americans have found we are behind the game. In reality, what could possibly change the course that the last few administrations
have set? Bush has even placed orders that insure his policies long after he is gone. Well, may we consider revolution? Bush has changed the law that used to prohibit use of military troops on city streets ( he knows americans will revolt ). I think that we would not defeat the Military so armed conflict is not an answer, but Total Civil Disobedience and refusal to pay taxes would stop this evil siege.
But how many among the population has truly got the balls or will to make a stand? Who was it that said ” People who are willing to give up some freedom for some security, deserve neither”. Time is now for americans to make that choice, if not too late already.
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