WASHINGTON — A short conflict that used fewer missiles, sparked fewer oil field fires and created fewer refugees than anticipated produced a lower-than-expected financial cost for the major combat in Iraq.
That means President Bush won't have to go back to Congress for additional funding this year, a step that could have revived the debate over the war.
A detailed account of expenses won't be complete for months, but senior administration officials say the cost of deployment and combat will be just less than the $62.6 billion Congress approved in March as emergency funding for Operation Iraqi Freedom. It is the first time officials have offered a tally.
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White House backs Israel’s response
Washington Post | 6/13/03 | Glenn Kessler
The Bush administration signaled strong support for Israel’s crackdown on militant groups yesterday, effectively abandoning its earlier criticism of the government of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that had sparked an outcry from lawmakers on Capitol Hill and pro-Israel lobbying groups.
IN COORDINATED STATEMENTS, White House and State Department officials tried to shift the diplomatic focus from Israeli actions to the commitment made by Arab leaders at a summit last week in Egypt to cut off funding and support for terrorist attacks against Israelis. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell made that point in a round of phone calls to Arab foreign ministers, officials said.
“The issue is not Israel. The issue is not the Palestinian Authority,” White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. The issue is “terrorists who are killing in an attempt to stop a hopeful process from moving forward.”
Arab officials placed the blame for the renewed violence on Israeli’s botched assassination attempt Tuesday of a senior leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement, known as Hamas. “We were very close to an agreement with the Palestinians to end the suicide bombings,” said a senior Arab diplomat who spoke to Powell yesterday. “But every time we come close to an agreement, the Israelis launch a disproportionate attack.”