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Politics : Those Damned Democrat's -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: calgal who wrote (1397)	9/7/2003 5:09:12 PM
From: calgal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1604

Bush to Give Major Address Sunday Night Sunday , September 07, 2003 WASHINGTON — President Bush is gearing up to give a major television address from the White House to America and the world Sunday night, when he will provide an update on the war on terror and say sticking it out in Iraq will eventually pay off. The address will be carried live on Fox News Channel at 8:30 p.m. EST. "The president is going to tell the American people tonight that we are still in the midst of the war on terrorism, that Iraq is a central battle in the war on terrorism," Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice (search), said on Fox News Sunday. "And the war on terrorism is against people who are against freedom and against civilization." White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the president will address "needs going forward" in Iraq, but there was no word on whether that included a timetable for when U.S. troops stationed there would be coming home. Congressional aides said Bush could also ask for $60 billion-$80 billion for the war effort for the next budget year. Bush likely will also touch on the U.S. draft resolution calling for more international boots on the ground to work as peacekeepers and help boost security. That resolution is being circulated among U.N. Security Council (search) members. Countries such as Britain have said they will contribute more troops to the region. Countries that opposed the war in the first place - namely France, Germany and Russia -- say they are open to negotiations on the language of the resolution but many think the United Nations should take more responsibility. The U.S. resolution calls for a unified command under the direction of a U.S. commander -- a major sticking point for some countries who don't want the United States to have that much control. Rice said on Fox News Sunday that Bush believes a resolution will provide much-needed political cover for some countries, particularly Muslim nations, to contribute to the effort in Iraq. Secretary of State Colin Powell (search) said on Sunday morning talk shows that a new resolution could result in other nations sending 10,000 to 15,000 more troops to Iraq. "There are a lot of demands on the international community -- in the Congo, in Liberia, in Bosnia, Kosovo, many other places," Powell said. "What we're really interested in this resolution, though, is to get the international community to come together and participate in the political reconstruction of Iraq." But Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan (search), the senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee and a frequent critic of the administration, said Bush has some explaining to do. "I hope that the president tonight will explain why the long delay in going to the U.N. when it's been so obvious to our commanders and to others that we need troops from other nations," Levin told Fox News. "We've got much too much stress on our own troops. We should not play into those hands by having this go-it-alone, Lone Ranger attitude, which the administration has had for much too long." Bush likely will also discuss the installation of cabinet members on the new Iraqi Governing Council, which U.S. authorities say is a key step toward putting Iraq on the road to democracy. The Bush administration wants billions of dollars more to pay for U.S. troops in Iraq and rebuilding the country, and congressional aides said they would not be surprised if the figure tops $80 billion for the new budget year beginning Oct. 1. "I think it could be bigger than $80 billion," said a congressional aide, who is familiar with the president's work in refining how much to request from Congress. "I think the expectation is that it's going to be a very, very big number." A second congressional aide said: "I'm thinking we're in the $70 billion to $80 billion range and I would lean to the higher end of that." Defense Department officials have said U.S. operations are costing about $3.9 billion monthly. That figure excludes indirect expenses such as replacing damaged equipment and munitions expended in combat. Levin said lawmakers are being told that it will cost $4.5 billion a month for the military -- plus reconstruction expenses. "What we're going to need from this president -- what we haven't had so far -- is [a] straightforward, straight-from-the-shoulder discussion about how long we're going to be there ... how many troops we're going to have to keep there, for how long and what the costs are going to be," Levin said. Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he expects $100 billion will be needed in Iraq during the next year. Rice said on the Sunday talk-show circuit that commanders in the field believe there are enough U.S. troops in Iraq. She would not speculate about how long they would remain there. "It is really difficult to put a time frame on this," she said. "The key is to get the job done." The kind of troops is more important than the number, she said. Powell said: "If we can get Iraqis trained and equipped quickly to start doing these guard functions and to go to places that are relatively stable and keep them stable, then that's what we should do, and not send more U.S. troops to stand around in these places." Meanwhile, the Bush administration remains very concerned about terrorists in Iraq, particularly whether Al Qaeda is trying to strengthen its presence there. "Nobody would be surprised if Al Qaeda is trying to set up operations in Iraq," Rice told Fox News. "They know that Iraq is the central battle now in the war on terrorism. They know that if Iraq becomes stable and prosperous that they will have been dealt a mortal blow." Fighters streaming in from surrounding countries are proving to be a major obstacle in halting attacks against coalition forces and forging ahead with more reconstruction efforts. "I'm not sure how large these numbers are, how significant the threat is, but we will deal with it in Iraq," Powell said in another television interview. The Associated Press contributed to this report.