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"President Bush (news - web sites) may seek an additional $40 billion or more for military operations in Iraq (news - web sites) and Afghanistan (news - web sites) next year -- on top of the $400-billion military budget he will send to Congress next month, congressional sources and budget analysts said on Wednesday.
But Bush is unlikely to send the request to Congress until after the November presidential election to minimize any political damage, the sources said....
Kosiak said the emergency request could total $40 billion to $50 billion.
Other analysts and congressional aides said it could be closer to $75 billion or $100 billion. U.S. military plans hinge on a smooth hand-over of political power by June 30 and rebuilding the Iraqi Army.
"They're playing it week by week because they don't know ... Things could go worse than expected or they could go better than expected," said John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, a defense policy research group."
This is what happens when you let your political advisor run the country. Iraqi elections shoved into the campaign time frame, and spending pushed back. Want to put money on whether they plan the Syria hit for just after the elections as well?