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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DuckTapeSunroof who wrote (703626)	9/23/2005 3:20:43 PM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Respond to of 769670

Iraqis want Katrina's money. (Well, of course they do. :) ======================================== Iraqis wonder what price they'll pay in Katrina's wake By Steven Komarow, USA TODAY usatoday.com BAGHDAD — The Gulf of Mexico is 7,000 miles away, but Iraqis are worried about hurricanes Katrina and Rita: They fear the storms will divert U.S. money and attention from Iraq. "Our hearts and our prayers are with the victims," Planning Minister Barham Saleh says. "But one should also keep in mind the importance of reconstruction in Iraq. You cannot leave Iraq alone, because failure is not an option here." A USA TODAY/CNN Poll last week showed that a majority of Americans give the war effort a low priority compared to domestic needs. Asked for the best way to pay for Hurricane Katrina damage, 54% recommend cutting spending for the Iraq war. The hurricanes come at a time when money for Iraq's reconstruction is running low. Congress approved $18.4 billion in 2003, but $5 billion was later set aside to rebuild Iraq's military and police. Security costs are eating into the rest. Projects are being scaled back even though needs remain, James Jeffrey, a State Department adviser, recently told a congressional panel. President Bush said Thursday that he is committed to both Iraq and rebuilding storm-damaged parts of the USA: "What's a priority for me is to win this war on terror and secure the country and to help the people down there (on the Gulf Coast)." Congress may balk at additional Iraq funding requests if they're also facing large bills for rebuilding hurricane damage, including as much as $200 billion to rebuild from Katrina alone. Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said Thursday that both parties will have to make painful decisions about their top spending priorities. "People are going to have to make choices," he said. "How it all plays out I'm not smart enough to know, but I'm worried." Amina Juma'a, a 35-year-old Baghdad homemaker and mother of four, says she watched Bush touring the areas damaged by Hurricane Katrina and was stunned by the "clean and beautiful areas" where evacuees were resettled. "Why can't he do that in Iraq?" she asks. Contributing: Mona Mahmoud in Baghdad; Kathy Kiely and Judy Keen in Washington.