So...the $78 billion didn't buy armor, but the proposed $70 billion WILL?

...another $70 billion windfall for Halliburton, perhaps?

Bush, Rumsfeld Try to Soothe Angry U.S. Troops

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=1&u=/nm/20041210/ts_nm/iraq_usa_rumsfeld_dc



White House budget director Joshua Bolten said the administration will ask Congress early next year for additional funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan (news - web sites). Congressional sources said the package could top $70 billion.

"We prefer to do it as late as possible so that we know what our needs are going to be," Bolten said. But he added that he did not expect the Defense Department's "funding streams to be constrained at all at any time between now and the release of the budget" in early February.

In an apparent effort to damp down the political fallout the U.S. general in charge of coalition ground forces in Iraq vowed to make sure all American military vehicles - including trucks - driven into Iraq in the future would contain at least minimal armor plating.

"And so we're continuing to work feverishly to ensure that they make our requirement that nobody goes north without it," Army Lt. Gen. Steven Whitcomb told Pentagon (news - web sites) reporters in a hastily arranged teleconference from Kuwait, where U.S. troops have been gathering before entering Iraq.

Just keep wavin' that flag and keep ploppin' yellow ribbon magnets on yer MiniVan. Freedumb idin't fray.

Pass me the dog food.

The manufacturer of the uparmor vehicles said today that no more money was needed up front; WHENEVER BUSH GETS AROUND TO PLACING AN ORDER with them, they can up their production by 50-100 uparmored vehicles per month.

It's DAMN HARD WORK to be SO WRONG SO OFTEN, ain't it, bush.

Rumsfailed:

"Well, the Office of Management and Budget, has come up come up with a number that's something under $50 billion for the cost. How much of that would be the U.S. burden, and how much would be other countries, is an open question.”

“If you (worry about just) the cost, the money, Iraq is a very different situation from Afghanistan…Iraq has oil. They have financial resources."

“I don't believe that the United States has the responsibility for reconstruction, in a sense… funds can come from those various sources I mentioned: frozen assets, oil revenues and a variety of other things, including the Oil for Food, which has a very substantial number of billions of dollars in it."

“I don’t know that there is much reconstruction to do.”

Top economist advisor Glen Hubbard:

“Costs of any such intervention would be very small.”

Josh Bolton:

“We don't anticipate requesting anything additional for the balance of this year.”

Press Secretary Ari Fleischer:

“Well, the reconstruction costs remain a very -- an issue for the future. And Iraq, unlike Afghanistan, is a rather wealthy country. Iraq has tremendous resources that belong to the Iraqi people. And so there are a variety of means that Iraq has to be able to shoulder much of the burden for their own reconstruction.”

Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage:

“This is not Afghanistan…When we approach the question of Iraq, we realize here is a country which has a resource. And it’s obvious, it’s oil. And it can bring in and does bring in a certain amount of revenue each year…$10, $15, even $18 billion…this is not a broke country.”

And bush:

And that (Iraq oil) money is -- it will benefit the Iraqi people. It's their oil, and they'll use it to reconstruct the country."


Next tally up; $300 billion in treasury costs.

from us the taxpayers?

> And it can bring in and does bring in a certain amount of revenue each year…$10, $15, even $18 billion…this is not a broke country.”

In other words, they're admitting to planning on stealing from the Iraqis. It's bad enough Bushie is allowed run rampant around their country killing women and childred, but now he's just a plain thief!

> Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage:

Ever seen that guy? I have in person, and he's scary! He's huge. I heard him talking about how often he works-out in order to get larger so he can intimidate people. He's the perfect thug for Bushie to employee.

just put it on our card.