Time to pay up

Saturday, April 19, 2008 | 2:06 a.m.

Although disagreement about how to get America out of the Iraq war persists, congressional Democrats and Republicans seem able to agree that Iraq ought to be doing more to rebuild the country’s infrastructure.

The call for Baghdad to pick up more of the tab comes at a time when Iraq is profiting from the sale of crude oil that goes for $113 a barrel, while Americans are paying sky-high gasoline prices and are faced with cuts to domestic programs to pay for the continuing Iraq war and reconstruction.

Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., has joined Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., in drafting legislation that would make future U.S. money to rebuild Iraq loans, rather than the grants used now. The legislation, to be included in an upcoming war spending bill, also would require Iraq to pay for American troops’ fuel. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., Armed Services Committee chairman, hopes to add a provision that calls for Iraq to spend its oil revenue on reconstruction projects before U.S. money is used.

President Bush has said that Iraq is assuming more of the reconstruction burden and that U.S. spending on large projects is “approaching zero,” the Associated Press reports.

But Congress remains skeptical — and no wonder. In justifying the Iraq war five years ago, Bush administration officials assured Congress that the war would be over quickly and Iraq would pay for its own reconstruction.

Neither claim has proved true.

The war has dragged on for more than five years, resulting in the deaths of more than 4,000 Americans and the wounding of nearly 30,000 others. And the United States has spent at least $47.5 billion since 2003 to help Iraq rebuild its roads, hospitals, power lines and other infrastructure. Iraq, meanwhile, budgeted $50 billion for such projects but has spent less than a quarter of that amount.

Baghdad is making money off Americans who buy gasoline while American taxpayers foot a significant portion of the bill for rebuilding Iraq. This must not continue.