Is this speech a precursor to a Draft? Bush asks $87 billion for war
STANDING FIRM : U.S. won't back down in Iraq, says president
Marc Sandalow, Washington Bureau Chief Monday, September 8, 2003
Washington -- President Bush told the nation Sunday he needed an additional $87 billion to pay for military and intelligence operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, describing Iraq as the "central front" on the war on terror.
Amid mounting concern over the loss of lives and expenditure of money in Iraq, Bush declared that the United States would not back away from an effort he portrayed as a great success, calling upon other nations -- including those who originally opposed the war -- to set aside their differences and join the United States in enforcing the peace.
"We will do what is necessary, we will spend what is necessary, to achieve this essential victory in the war on terror, to promote freedom and to make our nation more secure," Bush said in a rare prime-time address from the White House.
If Congress approves the $87 billion request, as expected, it would more than double what has already been spent on the war in Iraq and represent a cost of about $300 for every man, woman and child in the nation.
It was Bush's first address to the nation since his triumphant May 1 speech from the deck of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. In that that speech, standing before an enormous banner that read "Mission Accomplished," Bush declared that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended," and that "the United States and our allies have prevailed."
Since that time, 149 Americans have died in Iraq -- more than were killed during the six weeks it took to capture Baghdad -- and a policy that had been the source of enormous political strength for the president is showing signs of dissolving into a potential liability.
Bush, in the 18-minute address from the West Wing's Cabinet Room, offered no acknowledgment that postwar operations had not met expectations. Nor did he mention the failure to uncover any weapons of mass destruction -- the administration's stated purpose for starting the war. He suggested that widespread perception of chaos in Iraq was overstated, saying, "The attacks you have heard and read about in the last few weeks have occurred predominantly in the central region of Iraq, between Baghdad and Tikrit," while other portions of the nation were in better shape.
Bush also said he had been assured by military commanders that the current level of U.S. troops -- about 130,000 -- was adequate, but he did not address questions about long term-rotation of the troops or how long an American presence would be necessary.
CRITICISM FOR BUSH
Democrats quickly sought to portray Bush as an embattled leader presiding over a dangerous quagmire, rather than a commander-in-chief celebrating the success of a military campaign. Within 30 minutes of concluding his speech, at least four of the Democrats seeking their party's presidential nomination issued critical statements.
"A 15-minute speech does not make up for 15 months of misleading the American people on why we should go to war against Iraq, or 15 weeks of mismanaging the reconstruction effort since we have been there," said former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who was campaigning in San Jose.
The politics of terror are certain to heat up as the second anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaches.
In his speech, Bush repeatedly returned to the theme of American safety, referring to Sept. 11 three times, and asserting that fighting battles in Iraq and Afghanistan are the best way to provide security at home.
"The surest way to avoid attacks on our own people is to engage the enemy where he lives and plans," Bush said. "We are fighting the enemy in Iraq and Afghanistan today so that we do not meet him again on our own streets, in our own cities."
Bush's $87 billion request is certain to come under scrutiny on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers have become increasingly skeptical and vocal about an Iraq policy that has no clear end in sight.
Though the GOP-controlled Congress is expected to approve the request, critical Democrats, and even some Republicans concerned about adding to the nearly $500 billion deficit, are certain to demand a detailed accounting from the administration of how the money will be spent.
'STICKER SHOCK'
Bush said the money would cover military and intelligence operations in Iraq, Afghanistan "and elsewhere," without elaborating. Of that amount, $66 billion will cover costs over the next year. By comparison, the entire annual budget for the Department of Education is $63 billion.
"It's sticker shock," said Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, who added that Democrats would need a lot more specifics -- and perhaps a compromise over tax cuts -- before providing Bush bipartisan support for the proposal.
"The wealthiest Americans are getting a tax cut, and he's asking for $87 billion. . . . It's a very grim picture," Eshoo said.
Bush held out the hope that other nations might contribute financially, saying that Secretary of State Colin Powell would meet with foreign leaders this month to discuss financial contributions to the reconstruction of Afghanistan. A similar meeting will take place next month to discuss the effort in Iraq, Bush said.
Bush also acknowledged, as had been widely reported this past week, that he had authorized Powell to introduce a new U.N. resolution authorizing the creation of a multinational force in Iraq, to be led by America.
Already, France and Germany have expressed skepticism about committing troops to a cause they have steadfastly opposed, unless the United States yields some of its control, something that Bush showed no indication Sunday he was willing to do.
"I recognize that not all of our friends agreed with our decision to enforce the Security Council resolutions and remove Saddam Hussein from power, " Bush said.
'CAUSE OF THE CIVILIZED WORLD'
But fighting terrorism, he continued, "must be the cause of the civilized world."
"Members of the United Nations now have an opportunity -- and the responsibility -- to assume a broader role in assuring that Iraq becomes a free and democratic nation," he said.
Without acknowledging his critics, Bush nevertheless rattled off reasons for his controversial assertion the U.S. attack on Iraq and the wider war on terror has been a great success.
In the two years since the Sept. 11 attacks, Bush said, nearly two- thirds of al Qaeda's leaders have been captured or killed, terrorist "sleeper cells" have been uprooted in the United States, 42 of the 55 most-wanted Iraqi leaders are "dead or in custody," and an Iraqi regime that "possessed and used weapons of mass destruction, and for 12 years defied the clear demands of the United Nations," has been overthrown.
"We have carried the fight to the enemy. We are rolling back the terrorist threat to civilization, not on the fringes of its influence, but at the heart of its power." |
