Posted - July 02 2004 : 1:07:02 PM

Mr. Bush continues to try to hide the true costs of his Iraq war from America's citizens. He is allowing neither photographs nor ceremony as the remains of our heroic service members first touch our soil on their final journey home. He continues to omit the costs of his war from the federal budget, in an attempt to hide its real costs from our view. There is no doubt that Mr. Bush's policies will attempt to limit the critical services needed by our returning veterans who have suffered severe physical and mental wounds. The costs of these services are very much a cost of war and should be "paid in full" and not handled "on the cheap," as so much of this war has been conducted. We seem to be cutting corners everywhere, except when it comes to paying the bills submitted by Halliburton.

There is something overwhelmingly un-American and truly bizarre about reducing the taxes of our wealthiest citizens and reducing funding for veterans care at virtually the same time we begin a war and place 130,000 young Americans in harms way.

My name is Bert Smith and I am a candidate for the U. S. Congress from Oklahoma's 5th District. When elected, I will see that our grateful nation truly honors the commitment made to provide the care and services needed by all of America's war veterans.

War is expensive in many ways. Mr. Bush's war will be more expensive than most, regardless of how he attempts to cut and hide the costs.

www.BertSmith100.com