The New York Times > International > Middle East > Senators See Budget Shift on Iraq as Sign of Trouble: "Senator Richard G. Lugar, Republican of Indiana, said, 'the slow pace of reconstruction spending means that we are failing to fully take advantage of one of our most potent tools to influence the direction of Iraq.'
... Mr. Hagel said the State Department request was 'a clear acknowledgment that we are not holding ourselves hostage to some grand illusion that we're winning.'
Mr. Hagel went on to say that the request for reprogramming the money 'does not add up, in my opinion, to a pretty picture, to a picture that shows that we're winning. But it does add up to this, an acknowledgment that we are in deep trouble.'
... the expressions of concern by two leading Republicans could cause discomfort in the White House. Mr. Lugar expressed concern that of the roughly $18 billion approved for Iraq about 10 months ago, just over $1 billion had been dispersed as of a few days ago."
- posted by geoff @ #