Iraq bills coming due

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is asking Congress for $190 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2008, up from a February estimate of just over $140 billion. That's on top of $450 billion already spent on the Iraq war alone. Remember when former economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey was drummed out of the administration shortly after being so rash as to suggest that the Iraq war might cost as much as -- gasp! -- $100-200 billion? If only.