Four More Months?

"Congress would then vote a second time and could presumably put new conditions on the remaining money if lawmakers were not satisfied."

The Cost of War, Part I

Lori Montgomery writes in The Washington Post: "The global war on terror, as President Bush calls the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and related military operations, is about to become the second-most-expensive conflict in U.S. history, after World War II.

"Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Congress has approved more than $609 billion for the wars, a figure likely to stand as lawmakers rework their latest spending bill in response to a Bush veto. Requests for $145 billion more await congressional action and would raise the cost in inflation-adjusted dollars beyond the cost of the wars in Korea and Vietnam.

"But the United States is vastly richer than it was in those days, and the nation's wealth now dwarfs the price of war, economists said. . . .

"And this time, the war bill is going directly on the nation's credit card. Unlike his predecessors, Bush is financing a major conflict without raising taxes or making significant cuts in domestic programs. Instead, he has cut taxes and run up the national debt. The result, economists said, is a war that has barely dented the average American's pocketbook and caused few reverberations in the broader economy."

The Cost of War, Part II

Nancy A. Youssef writes for McClatchy Newspapers: "With much of their equipment in Iraq and Afghanistan, state National Guards face profound shortages in responding to natural disasters, particularly as they get ready for the hurricane season, which begins June 1. . . .

"The potential impact of the equipment shortages became apparent over the weekend when a tornado devastated Greensburg, Kan. Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said Monday that the state's National Guard couldn't respond as quickly as it should have because much of its equipment is overseas. . . .

"'Fifty percent of our trucks are gone. Our front loaders are gone. We are missing Humvees that move people,' Sebelius told NBC's 'Today' show. 'We can't borrow them from other states because their equipment is gone. It's a huge issue for states across the country to respond to disasters like this.'"

Jennifer Loven writes for the Associated Press that White House press secretary Tony Snow said this morning that Sebelius was to blame.

The Cost of War, Part III

Maria Cheng writes for the Associated Press: "The chance that an Iraqi child will live beyond age 5 has plummeted faster than anywhere else in the world since 1990, according to a report released Tuesday, which placed the country last in its child survival rankings.

"One in eight Iraqi children died of disease or violence before reaching their fifth birthday in 2005, according to the report by Save the Children."

Monica Goodling Watch

Dan Eggen writes in The Washington Post: "The Justice Department cleared the way yesterday for a limited immunity deal between House investigators and Monica M. Goodling, a former top Justice aide who has refused to answer questions about her role in last year's firing of eight U.S. attorneys.