A War Bush Wouldn't Pay For -- By E.J. Dionne Jr.
Friday, December 15, 2006;

Believe it or not, winning the war in Iraq was never the Bush administration's highest priority. Saving its tax cuts was more important. That was once spoken of as a moral problem. Now it's a practical barrier to a successful outcome.

Until recently President Bush's refusal to scale back any of his tax cuts was discussed as the question of shared sacrifice: How could we ask so much from a courageous group of Americans fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan but not ask even the wealthiest of their fellow citizens to part with a few extra dollars to support an endeavor supposedly central to our nation's security?
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This certainly explains why the 'armored vehicles' issued to our troops are made of plywood. Why the undercarriages of the few trucks that actually do have armour wear out on a weekly basis. Why their gas masks are clogged with dust before they unpack them. Why their shrapnel vests break the first time they're worn. The tax breaks to the wealthiest 1% are simply too important to do without--so our kids are just so much cannon fodder.