March 22, 2003	Saturday	Muharram 18, 1424

WASHINGTON, March 21: US Senate Minority leader Tom Daschle said on Friday the war on Iraq is “going very well,” but worried about its cost.

“The war could cost anywhere from 100, perhaps to 200 billion dollars, but there’s not a dollar in the budget right now for us as we consider the cost of the war or anything else,” Daschle told NBC television.

The Senate could vote later on Friday on an amendment to cut President George W. Bush’s proposed tax cut in half, after a Democratic amendment that would have delayed tax cuts until the cost of the war is known was narrowly defeated.

Bush has proposed a 10-year, roughly 700-billion-dollar economic package centered on tax cuts that has met fierce opposition from Democrats, who say it favours the rich and is unwise at a time of ballooning budget deficits.

Daschle, one of few dissenting voices in the US Congress on the war on Iraq, said on Monday he was “saddened” that Bush’s diplomatic efforts “had failed so miserably” and forced a war against Iraq.

But now that conflict has begun, “I don’t think it’s an appropriate time for us to have further debate about the policy. Now is the time to support our troops,” he said on Friday.

An editorial in USA Today on Friday echoed Daschle’s concerns.

“In spite of its detailed planning for the war and a rebuilding of Iraq, the administration continues to duck questions about how much the effort will cost taxpayers,” the daily said.—AFP