Senate Budget Would Halve Deficit in Three Years With $30 Billion for Iraq

[papau]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGA20XE3ERD.html

Senate Budget Would Halve Deficit in Three Years With $30 Billion for Iraq

By Alan Fram Associated Press Writer
Published: Mar 3, 2004

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate Budget Committee began debating a Republican-written 2005 budget on Wednesday that claims to halve the record deficit in three years, even if Congress provides $30 billion for Iraq.

The plan proposed deeper deficit reduction and lower defense and domestic spending than President Bush sought in his budget last month. The Senate's $2.36 trillion election-year proposal parted company with him in other ways, too.

It ignores Bush's proposals to eliminate dozens of programs, to cut spending on water projects popular with lawmakers, and permit mineral drilling in a major Alaskan wildlife preserve.

It also shows the effects of spending $30 billion to maintain U.S. forces in Iraq. Bush's budget omitted that expenditure, even as administration officials conceded they would ask for up to $50 billion after this November's presidential and congressional elections. <snip>

[mn9driver]

1. $30 billion more for Iraq ain't even gonna begin to cover the costs

of our continuing mesopotamian adventure. This is just more smoke, but now they get to say they "considered" the Iraq costs.

Worthless election-year BS.

[papau]

3. Indeed the excess over the GOP budget will be forced on Bush by Dems

It does not have to be logical - as long as the media is willing to sell it.

And our whore media will sell anything Rove puts on the table.

[salin]

2. sad when a 200billion+ deficit for five years from now is seen as a +

IN the bushsr days... deficits of these sizes were breaking records and perceived as devastating to the economy. Of course Clinton turned record deficits to surpluses. But now... woohoo 500+billion and growing deficits for a few years and then... all the way down to only 200+billion deficits... stellar.

[kysrsoze]

4. Add another trillion to the already inflated national debt

What would that make? A total of 2 Trillion? Nice. Thanks, assholes.