Even the Pentagon acknowledges that its $142 billion 2008 war-funding request is simply a best guess of Iraq- and Afghanistan -related costs, and Conrad's proposal didn't receive rebukes from Budget Committee Republicans.
But the speed with which his colleagues rejected it seemed to reflect the Democrats' sensitivity to any accusations of giving short shrift to funding for troops in battle.
"Our caucus feels strongly that we should go with the president's numbers" on 2008 war costs, Conrad said. He spoke just hours after floating the idea of curbing Bush's request for next year's war budget.
The North Dakota Democrat said he was simply seeking to come up with the most accurate figures possible for war costs as he develops a Democratic budget blueprint for the next fiscal year. The $20 billion cut was based on Congressional Budget Office estimates -- instead of the administration's February budget request -- of Iraq and Afghanistan war costs.
The administration asked for $141.7 billion for fiscal 2008, but assumes only $50 billion for 2009 and no war funding after that.
The Congressional Budget Office issued an estimate last month that forecasts 2008 costs of $120 billion for Pentagon operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and military aid for the armies of those two countries. The estimates would drop to $75 billion in 2009 and to $40 billion in 2010.
The scenario assumes the number of troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan are reduced to 30,000 by 2010.
Even before restoring the proposed cut for 2008, Conrad's budget plan assumed $85 billion more in war funds than Bush requested. That's because Conrad included money for a continued troop presence over 2010-2012.
"We are going to provide actually more funding, because we think the president's budget has understated the war costs over the five-year period," Conrad had said at the time he broached the idea of slashing $20 billion from the budget request.
Conrad said the congressional budget resolution he is drafting for debate later this month will provide Bush's request for a $49 billion boost, to $481 billion, in the core Pentagon budget.
