President tips his hand on war price tag

WASHINGTON -- President Bush, seeking $74.7 billion as a down payment for war in Iraq, said Tuesday that coalition forces are "on a steady advance" but that he could not predict how long the fighting will last.

"We cannot know the duration of this war, yet we know its outcome: We will prevail," Bush, commander in chief of 300,000 troops in the Persian Gulf, told U.S. military personnel at the Pentagon.

"The Iraq regime will be disarmed. The Iraq regime will be ended. The Iraq people will be free and our world will be more secure and peaceful," he said.

The remarks and a two-day meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair beginning Wednesday are part of a campaign by United States and British officials to brace their citizens for a war that could be longer and tougher than many expected. While making progress toward Baghdad, coalition forces have suffered casualties -- at least 20 U.S. troops have been killed and 14 captured or are missing in the war on Iraq.

"The people of our military and their families are showing great courage, and some have suffered great loss. America is grateful to all those who have sacrificed in our cause," Bush said.

In London, Blair said there are bound to be "difficult days ahead" for coalition forces.

The bulk of Bush's spending request, $62.6 billion, will support U.S. troops both in Iraq and in other operations related to the broader war on terrorism for the next six months, the White House said. The rest of the money will go to humanitarian assistance in Iraq, other foreign aid and homeland defense programs in the United States.

The package will help pay for transportation of forces to the Persian Gulf region, supplying troops and maintaining equipment. It also will allow the Pentagon to replace cruise missiles, smart bombs and other high-tech munitions, and provide combat pay to troops.

Standing in front of a display of military service flags, Bush asked Congress for flexibility in spending the money and said he wanted the bill on his desk as soon as possible.

Aides said his target date was April 11.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., told reporters on Capitol Hill that Congress would try to meet that timetable.

Frist conceded that the price tag of the supplemental appropriations bill might grow, with lawmakers interested in adding funds for local emergency workers and perhaps to aid financially troubled airlines.

Bush urged Congress to keep the bill lean.

"One thing is for certain," Bush said. "Business as usual on Capitol Hill can't go on during this time of war, and by that I mean this supplemental should not be viewed as an opportunity to add spending that is unrelated, unwise and unnecessary. Every dollar we spend must serve the interest of our nation, and the interest of our nation in this supplemental is to win this war and to be able to keep the peace."

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said that while the airlines were currently in "desperate shape," and Congress needed to do something to offset the security costs imposed by the federal government, it was unlikely that the war package would include money for the airlines. "We can do it as a separate bill," he said.

Lawmakers grumbled after a Monday meeting with Bush that they were frozen out of their oversight role on spending, and predicted Bush would soon return asking for more war money.

"This is just the beginning. This is the first down payment, and the American people have the right to know that," said Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va.