Big costs weigh on troop debate
While President Obama's decision about sending more troops to Afghanistan is primarily a military one, it also has substantial budget implications...
even if Obama chooses a lower troop commitment, Afghanistan's new costs could wash out the projected $26 billion expected to be saved in 2010 from withdrawing troops from Iraq. And the overall military budget could reach $734 billion, or 10 percent more than the peak of $667 billion under the Bush administration.
Such an escalation in military spending would be a politically volatile issue for Obama at a time when the government budget deficit is ...
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