Gut Check.

BUSH, George W. (George Walker), 1946-; KERRY, John, 1943-

This article calls U.S. president George W. Bush to task for understating the cost of the war in Iraq. The Bush administration consistently lowballs the cost of major legislation, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are no exception. The pattern is by now familiar: The White House offers up a cost estimate just high enough to promise members of Congress they won't have to cast another tough vote, but not so high that voters question the cost of the war. At nearly$ 5 billion per month, the tab for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is rapidly approaching the average monthly expenditure for the Vietnam War. Kerry needn't insist the money come from the tax cut, just that Bush find the money somewhere. To be sure, Republicans will never allow a vote on paying for the military appropriations, so, in the end, Kerry is going to have to vote yes or no on a bill that merely adds to the deficit.