AP: Bush Paper Details Iraq Spending Plan

[MissVelvetDress_75]

[q]AP: Bush Paper Details Iraq Spending Plan

By ALAN FRAM, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The administration wants $100 million for an Iraqi witness protection program, $290 million to hire, train and house thousands of firefighters, $9 million to modernize the postal service, including establishment of ZIP codes.



A Bush administration document, distributed to members of Congress and obtained by The Associated Press, goes far beyond the details officials have publicly provided for how they would spend the $20.3 billion they have requested for Iraqi reconstruction.


The 53 pages of justifications flesh out the size of the task of rebuilding the country, almost literally brick by brick. It also paints a painstaking picture of the damage Iraq (news - web sites) has suffered.


"The war and subsequent looting destroyed over 165 firehouses throughout the country. There are no tools or equipment in any firehouse," according to the report, written by the Coalition Provisional Authority, the U.S.-led organization now running Iraq.


The report's estimated cost of rebuilding Iraq's fire service, including hiring and training 5,000 firefighters: $290 million.


At another point, the report says the headquarters and three regional offices of the border police "will require complete renovation." Two thousand new recruits must be trained because the agency previously used conscripts, "almost all of whom deserted."


Reviving that and other border protection agencies should cost $150 million, the report said.


The proposal was part of the $87 billion plan that President Bush (news - web sites) sent Congress on Sept. 7 for Iraq and Afghanistan (news - web sites). The biggest piece of that package was $66 billion to finance U.S. military operations in both countries and elsewhere.


"Expeditious approval of this emergency appropriation is critical for the coalition to lay the groundwork for an Iraq governed by and for the people of Iraq, to serve as the model for democracy in the Mideast and to help fight the global war on terrorism by providing an alternative framework for governance," the request states.


Congress, just beginning work on Bush's proposal, is expected to approve it largely intact. But the political soft spot has been the $20.3 billion for reconstruction, because of record federal deficits facing this country and demands by Democrats for increased domestic security spending.


"The administration fought against a $200 million boost for America's police officers, firefighters and paramedics," Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., said Monday at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. "But Iraqi first responders would get $290 million through this" Bush proposal.


Byrd made his comments at a hearing where L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Iraq, testified that the plan would help prevent terrorists from establishing a foothold there.


Other projects and their estimated costs listed in the report include:


_Spend $100 million to protect ? and perhaps relocate overseas ? 100 witnesses and their families who testify against former government officials, terrorist groups or organized crime figures. "Without an effective witness protection program, it is simply not possible to prosecute these cases," the report says.


_Hire, train and equip 20,000 guards to protect Iraqi government facilities, $67 million.


_Retain 500 experts to investigate crimes against humanity by former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s government, for $100 million.


_Build and modernize 26 jails and prisons for 8,500 inmates, $99 million.





_Spend $9 million to modernize Iraq's postal system, including establishment of ZIP codes.

_Rebuild the country's badly damaged electrical system, install at least 11 40-megawatt gas turbine generation plants and several larger units, replace power lines and towers, $2.9 billion.

_Spend $55 million for an oil pipeline repair team that can respond quickly to new reports of sabotage or other problems, as part of a $2.1 billion effort to rebuild Iraq's oil industry.

_Use $1 billion to provide drinkable water to 75 percent of Iraq's urban population, an additional 2.7 million people, up from 60 percent today. An additional $530 million would be spent to serve 75 percent of the rural population, an additional 1.3 million, many of whom now rely on water trucked in as infrequently as once every 10 days. Eventual goal: serve 90 percent of the population, $2.8 billion.

_Spend $130 million to construct 10 major irrigation and drainage projects.

_Use $125 million to rebuild railroad tracks.

_Start building at least 3,528 new houses next year as part of a $100 million housing initiative.

_Designate $150 million to start building a new children's hospital in Basra.

_Spend $35 million to subsidize on-the-job training for private businesses. [/q]

 

[womanfish]

I'm sure the millions of American's living in poverty would love to see this list of how America's tax dollars won't be helping them in their own country.

100 million devoted soley to investigating Saddam's war crimes. (a.k.a - to further the myth that the war was a "humanitarian effort" since the WMD's don't exist) That is hysterical.

______________________________
General Wesley Clark for President

 

[verte76]

Investigating Saddam's war crimes? Can't they send him to the Hague? Maybe he and Milosevic can compare notes on their atrocities.

 

[deep]

_Spend $100 million to protect ? and perhaps relocate overseas ? 100 witnesses and their families who testify against former government officials, terrorist groups or organized crime figures. "Without an effective witness protection program, it is simply not possible to prosecute these cases," the report says

with 100 million and relocation they should be able to get "all" the witnesses and testimonies they want.

We may find out that Saddam did have a "link" to 9-11.

and while they're at it, he mailed the anthrax to Sen. Leahey (Dem chair of the Senate Judical Commitee) and the Sen. Dashell (Dem. Majority leader) just in time to clear out congress in a panic to hastily vote in the Patriot Act.

 

[deep]

Can't they send him to the Hague?

Why? The only interests they have are finding the truth and prosecuting crimes against humanity.

 

[STING2]

Womenfish,

"I'm sure the millions of American's living in poverty would love to see this list of how America's tax dollars won't be helping them in their own country."

"100 million devoted soley to investigating Saddam's war crimes. (a.k.a - to further the myth that the war was a "humanitarian effort" since the WMD's don't exist) That is hysterical"

If Iraq fails as a state with all the risk that would entail to US and International Security, how much money would be available for domestic issues at home?

It is cheaper to rebuild Iraq now than to have to fight another war a decade or two in the future.

The poverty rate in the USA during World War II was higher than it is now, but that did not stop Truman from approving the Marshall Plan for Europe.

 

[Klaus]

STING2:

you are right, most of the time it is ceaper to act early.
But most of the time it is even cheaper to act without military action and only use military for presure - i'm affraid you and me won't agree when there is the right moment to give up presure and start a war

Klaus

 

[Popmartijn]

Investigating Saddam's war crimes? Can't they send him to the Hague? Maybe he and Milosevic can compare notes on their atrocities.

Well, the current administration wants to have nothing to do with the International Criminal Court (they just signed a treaty with Kazachstan for them not extraditing US citizens to the ICC). Sending Saddam Hussein to the ICC is thus no option, that would be too hypocritical.

C ya!

Marty

 

[nbcrusader]

Something You Don't See Everyday - Good News from Iraq

Poll: Baghdad residents glad Saddam gone

From CNN

WASHINGTON (AP) -- While most residents of Baghdad say that ousting Saddam Hussein was worth the hardships they've endured since then, they are divided on whether the country is worse off or better off than before the U.S. invasion, according to a Gallup poll.

Two-thirds, 67 percent, say they think that Iraq will be in better condition five years from now than it was before the U.S.-led invasion. Only 8 percent say they think it will be worse off.

But they're not convinced that Iraq is better off now -- 47 percent said the country is worse off than before the invasion and 33 percent said it is better off.

The Gallup poll of 1,178 adults was conducted face to face in the respondents' household from August 28 through September 4 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Gallup plans to poll extensively in the coming months and years in Iraq and has established a center in Baghdad to coordinate the polling effort.

The survey found that 62 percent think ousting Saddam was worth the hardships they have endured since the invasion. In the five months since coalition forces defeated Saddam and his armies, Iraq has faced continuing violence, electrical outages, job shortages and civil unrest.

Six in 10 said they have a favorable view of the new Iraqi Governing Council, but most see its priorities as set by coalition authorities. Half said the coalition authorities are doing a better job now than two months ago, while 14 percent said they were doing a worse job.

Richard Burkholder, head of the Gallup team in Baghdad, said residents of the city of more than 6 million were eager to talk with his researchers and most who were contacted agreed to be interviewed in their own homes. Gallup drew its sample from different neighborhoods throughout the capital.

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

yes, but this poll left off that they do not have a high approval rating for Bush.

i saw that on ABC nightly news tonight.

 

[STING2]

80% of the population of Iraq lives outside the Baghdad Metro area. Most of them are Kurds and Shia and are more supportive of the US efforts in the country.

 

[Popmartijn]

80% of the population of Iraq lives outside the Baghdad Metro area. Most of them are Kurds and Shia and are more supportive of the US efforts in the country.

And what's your source of this?

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

yes, but this poll left off that they do not have a high approval rating for Bush.

i saw that on ABC nightly news tonight.

from reuters
[q]A Gallup opinion poll released on Wednesday showed that most of Baghdad's citizens were happy to see Saddam ousted, although only 29 percent of them see Bush positively[/q]

apparently Blair's rating is worse.

 

[verte76]

It seems like the Iraqi people could be called "moderately content". I hope their lives get easier and safer. I think most of them just want good jobs, security for their families, religious training for their children, and other ordinary things. They're not expecting miracles. I'm not surprised that they don't have a particularly high rating for either Bush or Blair. That being said it's obvious that the people doing the bombings and killings are a band of pseudo-Wahhabist kooks. Unfortunately they're part of the political landscape of Iraq these days. These 's need to be put out of business.

 

[verte76]

And what's your source of this?

I'm going to look into this. I thought the Shia had a slight majority in Iraq (about 55%), mostly in the south. The only state that's officially Shia is Iran. I don't have numbers for the Kurds, either, but they are a minority along with the Turkomen, the Assyrians, etc. Iraq is considered an "Arabic" country, which suggests that a majority of their population is of Arabic origin. If I'm not mistaken the Kurds are of Persian heritage. It's surprisingly hard to find these numbers for Iraq. Maybe I'm reading the wrong books.

 

[STING2]

Popmartijn,

"And what's your source of this?"

World Book Year Book for 2003 reports that Baghdad Metro area has a population of 5,041,000. Thats about 20% of the population in Iraq.

Over 90% of attacks on US troops have occured in Baghdad or the Sunni Triangle a little north of Baghdad. Reported by multiple sources, but the most accurate and detailed reports come from the Army Times.

US forces have been operating in the Kurdish area's for over 12 years now. US forces are more popular in the Kurdish area's than in any part of Iraq.

My friends are Marines who have spent the past 8 months living in Southern Iraq working with the Shia population. They have had no major difficulties and a lot of successes. People are kind and supportive. More friendly they say than some of the international troops being sent in from other countries.

Several of my friends were the last Marines in Iraq and were just withdrawn from Iraq yesterday. They will be back home at their home base in California by the end of the month.

 

[verte76]

I just got some demographics for Iraq. About 75-80% of the population of the country is Arabic. The Kurds are about 15-20% of the population; Turkomans, Assyrians and other minorities are about 5% of the population. 97% of these people are Muslim. About 60-65% of these are Shia, and 32-37% are Sunni. Christians and other minorities are about 3% of the population. The languages spoken are Arabic, Kurdish (official in the Kurd-controlled areas), Assyrian, and Armenian.

 

[STING2]

This comes from the World Book Encyclopedia:

Arabs make up about 80% of Iraq's population and the Kurds form about 15 percent. Other groups includ Mandaeans, Turkomans, and Yazidis. About 95% of the Iraqi people are Muslims. Most Arabs of central and southeastern Iraq belong to the Shiah branch of the Muslim religion. The rest of Iraq's Muslims including the Kurds, are Sunnites. Iraq has about 200,000 Christians and about 5,000 Jews.

So the Kurds are Sunni but should not be confused with the Sunni's around Baghdad who are Arab and not Kurdish.

The Sunni population minus the Kurds comprise about 17% to 22% of the total population of the country. Saddam's only base of support is among some of these people.

 

[Klaus]

Sting:
it could be that not the supporters of Saddam are not the biggest threat to the US soldiers security but Al Quaida, i think (and it's only my personal opinion) that this organisation is more popular down there now than the former iraqi regime.

Klaus

 

[verte76]

Sting:
it could be that not the supporters of Saddam are not the biggest threat to the US soldiers security but Al Quaida, i think (and it's only my personal opinion) that this organisation is more popular down there now than the former iraqi regime.

Klaus

This could be true. There's alot of talk about the Wahhabis. Maybe I should say the "pseudo-Wahhabis" because I don't think most Wahhabis in Saudi Arabia support terrorists. They are very conservative Moslems, especially in the social morality department. These pseudo-Wahhabis are Sunni but never liked Saddam. They are Arabic also, and they've (perhaps) teamed up with Al-Qaeda or someone else who has a vested interest in giving the U.S. and Co. fits. Just speculation, I have no way of absolutely knowing this.