Iraq: The Longest Six Months You've Ever Seen

You've probably read that the surge is supposed to take somewhere between six to eight months and that this is our last, last chance. Don't you believe it. How do I know? Take a look at the administration's budget requests for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. From the Dispatch:

The Bush administration will ask for another $100 billion for military and diplomatic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan this year and seek $145 billion for 2008, a senior administration official said Friday.

The requests Monday, to accompany President Bush's budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, would bring the total appropriations for 2007 to about $170 billion, with a slight decline the following year.

That's a lot of cash to be spending after our last, last chance, don't you think? I mean, either the surge works and we can turn the country over to the Iraqis or it doesn't work and it was our last chance, right? Oh, and don't tell me about contingencies, this administration doesn't do contingencies.

I'm pretty sure the administration knows they are leaving this mess for the next one, and really, it's clear they also know what the next one will do too. The request for 2009 is only $50 billion.