The Hindu : Democrats fault Bush on costs, risks

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 13, 2003

International

International

Democrats fault Bush on costs, risks

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington Oct. 12. At a time when the White House has gone on an offensive over its policies on Iraq, the Democrats are stepping up their criticism of not only the flawed war plans and lack of international support but also on how the war costs are going to be absorbed.

On Saturday, the U.S. President, George W Bush, again defended his policy saying "Iraq is making steady progress" and referring to `progress' in many areas.

"Since the liberation of that country, thousands of new businesses have been launched. With our assistance, Iraqis are building the roads and ports and railways necessary for commerce." He also took note of the new Central Bank and currency.

"I urge Congress to pass my budget request soon so this vital work can proceed," Mr. Bush said referring to his $87-billion supplemental request, with most of it going to Iraq and some to Afghanistan.

The administration has been on a high-profile defence of its Iraq policies after finding itself on the defensive in the last few weeks. It has heard sharp criticism on Capitol Hill and elsewhere that a clear-cut exit strategy had not been planned in the face of what has been taking place on the ground right now. As if the headaches are not enough, it has had to take a lot of flak for an unnamed senior administration official leaking the cover of a CIA operative with the larger questions of whether vengeance and spite had a role to play. A formal Justice Department inquiry is under way.

The Democrats, happy that opinion polls are showing them with a chance of getting to the White House in 2004, refuse to buy the argument that somehow it is the `filter' in the media that is preventing the flow of `good' news on the Iraqi front. One of their themes is that the strategy of going it alone is a burden. "There has been little support from the international community. Our troops have been taking almost all the risks, and American taxpayers have been paying all the bills. To be successful, the President's `go-it-alone' strategy must end," said the Congressman, Baron Hill.

"It is fantasy for us to believe that we can fund a war and a reconstruction effort and at the same time provide adequate resources for homeland security, health care, education and debt reduction — all the while staring at an annual deficit approaching a half a trillion dollars, a record setting figure," he said.

The Iraq policy will face greater attention and sharper criticism when the emergency spending measure comes before the House of Representatives and Senate next week. Democrats are reminding their constituents that the request is in addition to the $63 billions already borne by the taxpayer.

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