In February, President Bush requested $141.7 billion "to sustain combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan into next year" for the fiscal year beginning Oct 1. Evidently, Bush knew he'd be asking for more money for the "surge" this year, because he did not include, according to his administration, the cost of his "surge" in his earlier requests. Many thought he had.

So, today, Gates showed up at Capitol Hill to request that almost $50 billion more, bringing the amount the administration is seeking to finance the war effort through 2008 to almost $200 billion.

The request -- which would come on top of about $460 billion in the fiscal 2008 defense budget and $147 billion in a pending supplemental bill to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- is expected to be announced after congressional hearings scheduled for mid-September featuring the two top U.S. officials in Iraq. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker will assess the state of the war and the effect of the new strategy the U.S. military has pursued this year. (Washington Post)

If the Defense Authorization Bill is approved with President Bush's budget request, "2008 will be the most expensive year of the Iraq war."

The funding request means that war costs are projected to grow even as the number of deployed combat troops begins a gradual decline starting in December. Spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is to rise from $173 billion this year to about $195 billion in fiscal 2008, which begins Oct. 1.

When costs of CIA operations and embassy expenses are added, the war in Iraq currently costs taxpayers about $12 billion a month, said Winslow T. Wheeler, a former Republican congressional budget aide who is a senior fellow at the Center for Defense Information in Washington.

"Everybody predicts declines, but they haven't occurred, and 2008 will be higher than 2007," Wheeler said. "It all depends on what happens in Iraq, but thus far it has continued to get bloodier and more expensive. Everyone says we are going to turn the corner here, but the corner has not been turned."

In 2004, the two conflicts together cost $94 billion; in 2005, they cost $108 billion; in 2006, $122 billion...

The new spending request is likely to push the cumulative cost of the war in Iraq alone through 2008 past the $600-billion mark -- more than the Korean War and nearly as much as the Vietnam War, based on estimates by government budget officials. (LA Times)

Where are our priorities? Can't we get our president to stop all of this nonsense. It's just too awful.

When I hear news about the growing costs for the war (over $600 billion), the growing deaths total (more than 3,800 dead American troops), all those Americans and Iraqis that are just gone, and the never ending failed strategies for the occupation, I feel antsy. I want to pace.

I feel an overwhelming compulsion to shout. I want to shake George Bush by the shoulders.

I want to be able to tell him to stop pillaging the world, stop raiding our national treasury, and stop putting our brave soldiers in harm's way without adequate cause and planning.

Alas, I cannot say these things to our president. So, yesterday, as I considered George Bush's wasting of money and lives - I sort of sat idly in my anguish.

Then, to my delight, some measure of relief came to me in the midst of my frustration!

I heard a voice speaking with honesty, conviction and common sense. In the middle of my meltdown, in had walked one of my legislative heroes - Mr. Robert Byrd, the grand old Senator from West Virginia.

Click here to read Senator Byrd's inspiring words spoken yesterday in the Senate.