The new PINK Album "I'm not died" can you listen, download, buy on :
www.mp3.com
select your favourite songs...
9/01/2007
Music - Pink (I'm not dead)
The new PINK Album "I'm not died" can you listen, download, buy on :
www.mp3.com
select your favourite songs...
News - NBC Will Not Renew ITunes Contract
By BROOKS BARNES
Published: August 31, 2007
NBC Universal, unable to come to an agreement with Apple on pricing, has decided not to renew its contract to sell digital downloads of television shows on iTunes.
The media conglomerate — which is the No. 1 supplier of digital video to Apple’s online store, accounting for about 40 percent of downloads — notified Apple of its decision late yesterday, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked for anonymity because negotiations between the companies are confidential.
A spokesman for NBC Universal, part of General Electric, confirmed the decision, but otherwise declined to comment. A spokesmen for Apple declined to comment. The decision by NBC Universal highlights the escalating tension between Apple and media companies, which are unhappy that Apple will not give them more control over the pricing of songs and videos that are sold on iTunes.
NBC Universal is also seeking better piracy controls and wants Apple to allow it to bundle videos to increase revenue, the person familiar with the matter said.
NBC Universal is the second major iTunes supplier recently to have a rift with Apple over pricing and packaging matters. In July, the Universal Music Group of Vivendi, the world’s biggest music corporation, said it would not renew its long-term contract with iTunes. Instead, Universal Music said it would market music to Apple at will, which would allow it to remove its songs from iTunes on short notice.
The action by Jeff Zucker, NBC Universal’s chief executive, will not have an immediate impact on iTunes. The current two-year deal extends through December, so a vast video catalog — some 1,500 hours of NBC Universal’s news, sports and entertainment programming — will remain available on iTunes at least until then.
Among the most popular NBC Universal shows available for sale on iTunes are “Battlestar Galactica,” “The Office” and “Heroes.” The company has been talking to iTunes about offering Universal movies, but has not done so to date because of piracy concerns.
The two companies could still reach an agreement on a new contract before their current deal expires. While each side has so far refused to budge, the talks will continue and have been free of acrimony, the person familiar with the matter said.
But the defiant moves by NBC Universal and Universal Music could embolden other media companies that have been less than thrilled with Apple’s policies. NBC Universal was the second company to sign an agreement with Apple to sell content on iTunes, and its contract stipulated that Apple receive notice of plans to cancel 90 days before the expiration date. Otherwise, the deal would automatically renew according to the original terms.
Assuming similar provisions in deals negotiated with media companies like CBS, Discovery and the News Corporation, a parade of 90-day windows will be coming due.
A move by NBC Universal to walk away or withdraw a large amount of content would probably hobble Apple’s efforts to move deeper into the sale of video-focused consumer electronics like the iPhone and a new class of iPods. While Apple’s early efforts in this area depended on music to fuel sales, analysts say video is what will drive much of Apple’s retail business in the future.
The iTunes service wields incredible power in the music business, since it accounts for more than 76 percent of digital music sales. And its influence is on the rise: Apple recently passed Amazon to become the third-biggest seller of music over all, behind Wal-Mart and Best Buy, according to the market research firm NPD.
But the sale of video online is still at a nascent stage. Media giants like NBC Universal are aggressively trying to move into the business — in part to avoid the piracy that has plagued music companies — but the revenue they earn from online video sales does not yet have a material impact on their financial performances.
So some media companies feel they have the upper hand: Apple, for now at least, needs their content more than they need Apple. And there are an array of companies — like Amazon, Wal-Mart, Microsoft and Sony — that would love to have NBC Universal as a partner to muscle in on Apple’s turf.
Then there is NBC Universal’s own Hulu.com, a venture in partnership with the News Corporation to build a video portal to compete with YouTube.
The risks that media companies face in removing content from well-known Web sites involve perception and promotion. NBC Universal could anger consumers by preventing them from easily watching shows and movies in the most popular way — through iTunes and the iPod. Television networks and movie studios have vigorously tried to avoid being branded with the same anticonsumer sentiment that has worked against the record labels.
And because iTunes is so popular, NBC Universal would lose an increasingly important way of marketing entertainment products, particularly fledgling television shows, to consumers.
For months, most media companies have grumbled that Apple underprices video and audio content as a way to propel sales of a much more significant profit center: iPods and related merchandise. (One noteworthy abstainer from the grumbling is the Walt Disney Company, which has Apple’s chief executive, Steven P. Jobs, as a board member.)
The iTunes service has sold songs for 99 cents each since its beginning four years ago, except for the recent introduction of songs without copy protection. Episodes of television shows sell for $1.99, with movies priced at $9.99.
NBC Universal and other companies say they want to increase prices by packaging content— say an episode of “The Office” with the movie “The 40- Year-Old Virgin,” because they both star the comedian Steve Carell.
In the past, Apple has argued that a range of pricing would complicate the iTunes experience and squelch demand.
Published: August 31, 2007
NBC Universal, unable to come to an agreement with Apple on pricing, has decided not to renew its contract to sell digital downloads of television shows on iTunes.
The media conglomerate — which is the No. 1 supplier of digital video to Apple’s online store, accounting for about 40 percent of downloads — notified Apple of its decision late yesterday, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked for anonymity because negotiations between the companies are confidential.
A spokesman for NBC Universal, part of General Electric, confirmed the decision, but otherwise declined to comment. A spokesmen for Apple declined to comment. The decision by NBC Universal highlights the escalating tension between Apple and media companies, which are unhappy that Apple will not give them more control over the pricing of songs and videos that are sold on iTunes.
NBC Universal is also seeking better piracy controls and wants Apple to allow it to bundle videos to increase revenue, the person familiar with the matter said.
NBC Universal is the second major iTunes supplier recently to have a rift with Apple over pricing and packaging matters. In July, the Universal Music Group of Vivendi, the world’s biggest music corporation, said it would not renew its long-term contract with iTunes. Instead, Universal Music said it would market music to Apple at will, which would allow it to remove its songs from iTunes on short notice.
The action by Jeff Zucker, NBC Universal’s chief executive, will not have an immediate impact on iTunes. The current two-year deal extends through December, so a vast video catalog — some 1,500 hours of NBC Universal’s news, sports and entertainment programming — will remain available on iTunes at least until then.
Among the most popular NBC Universal shows available for sale on iTunes are “Battlestar Galactica,” “The Office” and “Heroes.” The company has been talking to iTunes about offering Universal movies, but has not done so to date because of piracy concerns.
The two companies could still reach an agreement on a new contract before their current deal expires. While each side has so far refused to budge, the talks will continue and have been free of acrimony, the person familiar with the matter said.
But the defiant moves by NBC Universal and Universal Music could embolden other media companies that have been less than thrilled with Apple’s policies. NBC Universal was the second company to sign an agreement with Apple to sell content on iTunes, and its contract stipulated that Apple receive notice of plans to cancel 90 days before the expiration date. Otherwise, the deal would automatically renew according to the original terms.
Assuming similar provisions in deals negotiated with media companies like CBS, Discovery and the News Corporation, a parade of 90-day windows will be coming due.
A move by NBC Universal to walk away or withdraw a large amount of content would probably hobble Apple’s efforts to move deeper into the sale of video-focused consumer electronics like the iPhone and a new class of iPods. While Apple’s early efforts in this area depended on music to fuel sales, analysts say video is what will drive much of Apple’s retail business in the future.
The iTunes service wields incredible power in the music business, since it accounts for more than 76 percent of digital music sales. And its influence is on the rise: Apple recently passed Amazon to become the third-biggest seller of music over all, behind Wal-Mart and Best Buy, according to the market research firm NPD.
But the sale of video online is still at a nascent stage. Media giants like NBC Universal are aggressively trying to move into the business — in part to avoid the piracy that has plagued music companies — but the revenue they earn from online video sales does not yet have a material impact on their financial performances.
So some media companies feel they have the upper hand: Apple, for now at least, needs their content more than they need Apple. And there are an array of companies — like Amazon, Wal-Mart, Microsoft and Sony — that would love to have NBC Universal as a partner to muscle in on Apple’s turf.
Then there is NBC Universal’s own Hulu.com, a venture in partnership with the News Corporation to build a video portal to compete with YouTube.
The risks that media companies face in removing content from well-known Web sites involve perception and promotion. NBC Universal could anger consumers by preventing them from easily watching shows and movies in the most popular way — through iTunes and the iPod. Television networks and movie studios have vigorously tried to avoid being branded with the same anticonsumer sentiment that has worked against the record labels.
And because iTunes is so popular, NBC Universal would lose an increasingly important way of marketing entertainment products, particularly fledgling television shows, to consumers.
For months, most media companies have grumbled that Apple underprices video and audio content as a way to propel sales of a much more significant profit center: iPods and related merchandise. (One noteworthy abstainer from the grumbling is the Walt Disney Company, which has Apple’s chief executive, Steven P. Jobs, as a board member.)
The iTunes service has sold songs for 99 cents each since its beginning four years ago, except for the recent introduction of songs without copy protection. Episodes of television shows sell for $1.99, with movies priced at $9.99.
NBC Universal and other companies say they want to increase prices by packaging content— say an episode of “The Office” with the movie “The 40- Year-Old Virgin,” because they both star the comedian Steve Carell.
In the past, Apple has argued that a range of pricing would complicate the iTunes experience and squelch demand.
8/30/2007
DVD - 'Heroes, Season One'
The unaired pilot and hours of commentaries make for a super-powered DVD package.
Daniel Fienberg, Zap2it | Zap2It.com
August 28, 2007
There's no reason why "Heroes" should have worked as well as it did. The first-year NBC drama balanced dozens of characters in locations around the country, running through myriad story arcs in a genre -- comic book-style superheroes -- well outside of the typical network television purview.
With a high concept narrative -- Save the cheerleader, save the freakin' world -- and a spiffy production gloss fueled by top notch effects and stellar stunt work, "Heroes" became last year's most buzzed about new show (not the same as "most watched," but the fourth place network will take what it can get). Now why is it that I can't get into a conversation about "Heroes" without people telling me how much they thought the waning moments of the finale stunk?
"Heroes" is exactly the kind of show that rewards intense DVD viewership and the first season arrives on disc on Tuesday (Aug. 28) in exactly the caliber of compilation it deserves. NBC's press release for the DVD lists 19 members of the ensemble cast, a list that doesn't even include the legion of actors who passed through for brief cameos or extended arcs. It was already a complicated enough tapestry to begin with and the seven discs include at least 50 deleted or extended scenes, helping to fill in some major and minor character gaps stretching across the season.
While all viewers will probably want to follow Hiro (Masi Oka) and Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) and Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) and Claire (Hayden Panettiere) and Mr. Bennett (Jack Coleman) and Sylar (Zachary Quinto), watching the series on DVD allows for a little cherrypicking when it comes to the less universally adored characters or plotlines. My own version of the first season of "Heroes" wastes a lot less time on Simone (Tawny Cypress), Isaac (Santiago Cabrera), Matt Parkman's (Greg Grunberg) cheating wife, Nathan's not-so-paralyzed wife (Rena Sofer) and the frequently forgotten D.L. (Leonard Roberts). Instead, the characters played by Jayma Mays, Nora Zehtner, Christopher Eccleston and Eric Roberts all seem much more central.
The wonders of selective editing are particularly important to the DVD's most intriguing feature, the 73-minute studio pilot seen mostly by industry insiders and one group of excited fans at San Diego Comic-Con. A phenomenal insight into the storytelling process and studio creative decision-making, the original pilot features a notoriously excised terrorist storyline, an plot that introduced mind-reading Matt in the first episode rather than later in the show's run. In an interesting, but rarely revelatory nuts-and-bolts commentary, creator Tim Kring explains that the network worried that if "Heroes" were to be an 8 p.m. show (it wasn't) that darker, ripped-from-the-headlines arc wouldn't be appropriate. Kring admits now that he understands the choice and watching the cut footage -- more "Sleeper Cell"-lite than fitting with the show's eventual tone -- it's obvious that the network's move was correct.
In addition to Kring's commentary on the extended pilot, the set includes eight addition episode commentaries featuring writers, directors, random production assistants and just about every member of the cast you could hope to hear from. Of the tracks, I can recommend any of the three featuring the always excitable Grunberg, plus the track on the "Landside" episode with Masi Oka and kickass guest star George Takei. Disappointingly, the finale commentary offers neither apology nor explanation for the concluding anti-climax.
A variety of featurettes appear on the seventh disc, including glimpses at the special effects and stunt work and a profile of Tim Sale, the artist responsible for the show's all-important paintings.
The fifth disc also includes a game that lets users see if they have the power to read minds. I don't, but if you did, you probably already knew that.
With a high concept narrative -- Save the cheerleader, save the freakin' world -- and a spiffy production gloss fueled by top notch effects and stellar stunt work, "Heroes" became last year's most buzzed about new show (not the same as "most watched," but the fourth place network will take what it can get). Now why is it that I can't get into a conversation about "Heroes" without people telling me how much they thought the waning moments of the finale stunk?
"Heroes" is exactly the kind of show that rewards intense DVD viewership and the first season arrives on disc on Tuesday (Aug. 28) in exactly the caliber of compilation it deserves. NBC's press release for the DVD lists 19 members of the ensemble cast, a list that doesn't even include the legion of actors who passed through for brief cameos or extended arcs. It was already a complicated enough tapestry to begin with and the seven discs include at least 50 deleted or extended scenes, helping to fill in some major and minor character gaps stretching across the season.
While all viewers will probably want to follow Hiro (Masi Oka) and Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) and Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) and Claire (Hayden Panettiere) and Mr. Bennett (Jack Coleman) and Sylar (Zachary Quinto), watching the series on DVD allows for a little cherrypicking when it comes to the less universally adored characters or plotlines. My own version of the first season of "Heroes" wastes a lot less time on Simone (Tawny Cypress), Isaac (Santiago Cabrera), Matt Parkman's (Greg Grunberg) cheating wife, Nathan's not-so-paralyzed wife (Rena Sofer) and the frequently forgotten D.L. (Leonard Roberts). Instead, the characters played by Jayma Mays, Nora Zehtner, Christopher Eccleston and Eric Roberts all seem much more central.
The wonders of selective editing are particularly important to the DVD's most intriguing feature, the 73-minute studio pilot seen mostly by industry insiders and one group of excited fans at San Diego Comic-Con. A phenomenal insight into the storytelling process and studio creative decision-making, the original pilot features a notoriously excised terrorist storyline, an plot that introduced mind-reading Matt in the first episode rather than later in the show's run. In an interesting, but rarely revelatory nuts-and-bolts commentary, creator Tim Kring explains that the network worried that if "Heroes" were to be an 8 p.m. show (it wasn't) that darker, ripped-from-the-headlines arc wouldn't be appropriate. Kring admits now that he understands the choice and watching the cut footage -- more "Sleeper Cell"-lite than fitting with the show's eventual tone -- it's obvious that the network's move was correct.
In addition to Kring's commentary on the extended pilot, the set includes eight addition episode commentaries featuring writers, directors, random production assistants and just about every member of the cast you could hope to hear from. Of the tracks, I can recommend any of the three featuring the always excitable Grunberg, plus the track on the "Landside" episode with Masi Oka and kickass guest star George Takei. Disappointingly, the finale commentary offers neither apology nor explanation for the concluding anti-climax.
A variety of featurettes appear on the seventh disc, including glimpses at the special effects and stunt work and a profile of Tim Sale, the artist responsible for the show's all-important paintings.
The fifth disc also includes a game that lets users see if they have the power to read minds. I don't, but if you did, you probably already knew that.
8/29/2007
Games - E3 2006: Bioshock Impressions
by Charles Onyett
May 10, 2006 - Bioshock is about choice. It's about exploration, problem solving, and survival. It's also about scaring the crap out of you. If you're wondering what the best game at the show is, this may very well be it. We got in at 2K Games' both to see a 20 minute demo of the game in action, and got to see a number of gameplay mechanics, as well as gaze at its gorgeous graphics. Bioshock's setting is a large part of its appeal. Set in the underwater city of Rapture, the environments are a striking blend of sci-fi machinery and art deco designs. Since Rapture is under enormous aquatic pressure, the city is constantly leaking, meaning there's a significant amount of spraying water mixed in with the settings. The city was created in secret and subsequently forgotten. By the time you arrive there, there's evidence everywhere of the denizens attempting to manipulate their environment to survive. In addition to rearranging their disheveled surroundings, some of the inhabitants have ingested too many of the genetic modifiers littered around, driving them mad.
The demo started out with your character in the middle of a marble hall, surrounded by glass windows and wooden planks for reinforcement. Cracks, debris, and other signs of wear were all over, proof that Rapture's residents no longer cared for cleanliness. Their concerns were decidedly elsewhere, irrefutably proven when we met the first shambling character. From behind a walk stalked a Big Daddy, a hulking humanoid covered in thick, cumbersome underwater equipment. Instead of charging right at us in a murderous rage, he slowly stepped by, aware of but uninterested in our presence. This gave us a sense of Rapture's autonomous natures. We're not the person around all the action revolves; every enemy is just trying to live its own life.
May 10, 2006 - Bioshock is about choice. It's about exploration, problem solving, and survival. It's also about scaring the crap out of you. If you're wondering what the best game at the show is, this may very well be it. We got in at 2K Games' both to see a 20 minute demo of the game in action, and got to see a number of gameplay mechanics, as well as gaze at its gorgeous graphics. Bioshock's setting is a large part of its appeal. Set in the underwater city of Rapture, the environments are a striking blend of sci-fi machinery and art deco designs. Since Rapture is under enormous aquatic pressure, the city is constantly leaking, meaning there's a significant amount of spraying water mixed in with the settings. The city was created in secret and subsequently forgotten. By the time you arrive there, there's evidence everywhere of the denizens attempting to manipulate their environment to survive. In addition to rearranging their disheveled surroundings, some of the inhabitants have ingested too many of the genetic modifiers littered around, driving them mad.
The demo started out with your character in the middle of a marble hall, surrounded by glass windows and wooden planks for reinforcement. Cracks, debris, and other signs of wear were all over, proof that Rapture's residents no longer cared for cleanliness. Their concerns were decidedly elsewhere, irrefutably proven when we met the first shambling character. From behind a walk stalked a Big Daddy, a hulking humanoid covered in thick, cumbersome underwater equipment. Instead of charging right at us in a murderous rage, he slowly stepped by, aware of but uninterested in our presence. This gave us a sense of Rapture's autonomous natures. We're not the person around all the action revolves; every enemy is just trying to live its own life.
Music - Big Girls Don't Cry [Fergie lyrics]
Artist: Fergie
Album: The Dutchess
Year: 2006
Title: Big Girls Don't Cry
Da Da Da Da
The smell of your skin lingers on me now
You're probably on your flight back to your home town
I need some shelter of my own protection baby
To be with myself and center, clarity
Peace, Serenity
[CHORUS:]
I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We've got some straightenin' out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
Don't cry
Don't cry
Don't cry
The path that I'm walking
I must go alone
I must take the baby steps 'til I'm full grown, full grown
Fairytales don't always have a happy ending, do they?
And I foresee the dark ahead if I stay
[Big Girls Don't Cry Lyrics on http://www.lyricsmania.com]
[CHORUS]
Like the little school mate in the school yard
We'll play jacks and uno cards
I'll be your best friend and you'll be my Valentine
Yes you can hold my hand if you want to
'Cause I want to hold yours too
We'll be playmates and lovers and share our secret worlds
But it's time for me to go home
It's getting late, dark outside
I need to be with myself and center, clarity
Peace, Serenity
[CHORUS]
La Da Da Da Da Da
need more? click here...
Album: The Dutchess
Year: 2006
Title: Big Girls Don't Cry
Da Da Da Da
The smell of your skin lingers on me now
You're probably on your flight back to your home town
I need some shelter of my own protection baby
To be with myself and center, clarity
Peace, Serenity
[CHORUS:]
I hope you know, I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal, myself and I
We've got some straightenin' out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
Don't cry
Don't cry
Don't cry
The path that I'm walking
I must go alone
I must take the baby steps 'til I'm full grown, full grown
Fairytales don't always have a happy ending, do they?
And I foresee the dark ahead if I stay
[Big Girls Don't Cry Lyrics on http://www.lyricsmania.com]
[CHORUS]
Like the little school mate in the school yard
We'll play jacks and uno cards
I'll be your best friend and you'll be my Valentine
Yes you can hold my hand if you want to
'Cause I want to hold yours too
We'll be playmates and lovers and share our secret worlds
But it's time for me to go home
It's getting late, dark outside
I need to be with myself and center, clarity
Peace, Serenity
[CHORUS]
La Da Da Da Da Da
need more? click here...
Movie - Superbad (2007)
Director: Greg Mottola
Writers (WGA): Seth Rogen (written by) & Evan Goldberg (written by)
Release Date: 17 August 2007 (USA
Genre: Comedy
Plot Outline: Two co-dependent high school seniors (Hill and Cera) are forced to deal with separation anxiety after their plan to stage a booze-soaked party goes awry.
Plot Synopsis: View full synopsis. (warning! may contain spoilers)
Plot Keywords: Drug Humor / Drug Use / Underage Smoking / Porn / Hit By Car more
Awards: 1 nomination
User Comments: Funniest movie you'll see all year... maybe longer.
News - Bush Wants $50 Billion More for Iraq War
Planned Request Signals Confidence That Congress Won't Prevail on Pullout
By Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 29, 2007; Page A01
President Bush plans to ask Congress next month for up to $50 billion in additional funding for the war in Iraq, a White House official said yesterday, a move that appears to reflect increasing administration confidence that it can fend off congressional calls for a rapid drawdown of U.S. forces.
The request -- which would come on top of about $460 billion in the fiscal 2008 defense budget and $147 billion in a pending supplemental bill to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- is expected to be announced after congressional hearings scheduled for mid-September featuring the two top U.S. officials in Iraq. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker will assess the state of the war and the effect of the new strategy the U.S. military has pursued this year.
The request is being prepared now in the belief that Congress will be unlikely to balk so soon after hearing the two officials argue that there are promising developments in Iraq but that they need more time to solidify the progress they have made, a congressional aide said.
Most of the additional funding in a revised supplemental bill would pay for the current counteroffensive in Iraq, which has expanded the U.S. force there by about 28,000 troops, to about 160,000. The cost of the buildup was not included in the proposed 2008 budget because Pentagon officials said they did not know how long the troop increase would last. The decision to seek about $50 billion more appears to reflect the view in the administration that the counteroffensive will last into the spring of 2008 and will not be shortened by Congress.
Some consideration is being given to trimming the new request by a few billion dollars, the White House official said. But, he added, "this is pretty close to a done deal." Almost all the spending is relatively noncontroversial, he added, with the vast majority of it necessary just to keep the U.S. military operating in Iraq. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to reporters, said that the supplemental requests are likely to be "rolled together" and considered as one package.
The revised supplemental would total about $200 billion, indicating that the cost of the war in Iraq now exceeds $3 billion a week. The bill also covers the far smaller costs of the war in Afghanistan. The Pentagon said recently that the cost of the Iraq war has surpassed $330 billion, while the war in Afghanistan has cost $78 billion.
"We have said previously that after General Petraeus reports, we will be evaluating what adjustments may need to be made to our pending [fiscal 2008] supplemental request, which was sent up in February with the rest of the budget," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said last night. "I'm going to decline to speculate on this, as General Petraeus has not testified. Nor have any decisions been made at this stage about whether, when or what specific changes could be made."
A House Appropriations Committee aide said that an additional White House spending request has been anticipated but that it was expected to be far smaller, perhaps about $30 billion. "We haven't seen the details, but we'll give it the scrutiny it deserves," said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.). "It's long past time for giving blank checks to the administration."
Despite widespread media anticipation of next month's Iraq hearings, Pentagon insiders say they do not expect them to result in any major changes in military strategy. The sessions are expected to occur the week of Sept. 10, with Petraeus and Crocker appearing before a total of four committees in the House and Senate.
"I don't see any surprises" coming out of the hearings, said an officer on the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He said he expects Petraeus and Crocker to focus on tactical security gains in and around Baghdad in recent months and on shifts in tribal allegiances in favor of U.S. forces, and to argue that those improvements may open a window for greater political reconciliation in Iraq over the next six or seven months.
In any event, this officer said, he expects the current counteroffensive to be maintained into next April. "The surge was designed to last for a year," he said. "I don't think they'll change that."
In a speech yesterday to the convention of the American Legion in Reno, Nev., Bush gave an optimistic assessment of recent events in the war, now in its fifth year. "There are unmistakable signs that our strategy is achieving the objectives we set out," he said. "The momentum is now on our side."
Staff writers Jonathan Weisman and Karen DeYoung contributed to this report.
watch the video, click here
By Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 29, 2007; Page A01
President Bush plans to ask Congress next month for up to $50 billion in additional funding for the war in Iraq, a White House official said yesterday, a move that appears to reflect increasing administration confidence that it can fend off congressional calls for a rapid drawdown of U.S. forces.
The request -- which would come on top of about $460 billion in the fiscal 2008 defense budget and $147 billion in a pending supplemental bill to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- is expected to be announced after congressional hearings scheduled for mid-September featuring the two top U.S. officials in Iraq. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker will assess the state of the war and the effect of the new strategy the U.S. military has pursued this year.
The request is being prepared now in the belief that Congress will be unlikely to balk so soon after hearing the two officials argue that there are promising developments in Iraq but that they need more time to solidify the progress they have made, a congressional aide said.
Most of the additional funding in a revised supplemental bill would pay for the current counteroffensive in Iraq, which has expanded the U.S. force there by about 28,000 troops, to about 160,000. The cost of the buildup was not included in the proposed 2008 budget because Pentagon officials said they did not know how long the troop increase would last. The decision to seek about $50 billion more appears to reflect the view in the administration that the counteroffensive will last into the spring of 2008 and will not be shortened by Congress.
Some consideration is being given to trimming the new request by a few billion dollars, the White House official said. But, he added, "this is pretty close to a done deal." Almost all the spending is relatively noncontroversial, he added, with the vast majority of it necessary just to keep the U.S. military operating in Iraq. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to reporters, said that the supplemental requests are likely to be "rolled together" and considered as one package.
The revised supplemental would total about $200 billion, indicating that the cost of the war in Iraq now exceeds $3 billion a week. The bill also covers the far smaller costs of the war in Afghanistan. The Pentagon said recently that the cost of the Iraq war has surpassed $330 billion, while the war in Afghanistan has cost $78 billion.
"We have said previously that after General Petraeus reports, we will be evaluating what adjustments may need to be made to our pending [fiscal 2008] supplemental request, which was sent up in February with the rest of the budget," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said last night. "I'm going to decline to speculate on this, as General Petraeus has not testified. Nor have any decisions been made at this stage about whether, when or what specific changes could be made."
A House Appropriations Committee aide said that an additional White House spending request has been anticipated but that it was expected to be far smaller, perhaps about $30 billion. "We haven't seen the details, but we'll give it the scrutiny it deserves," said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.). "It's long past time for giving blank checks to the administration."
Despite widespread media anticipation of next month's Iraq hearings, Pentagon insiders say they do not expect them to result in any major changes in military strategy. The sessions are expected to occur the week of Sept. 10, with Petraeus and Crocker appearing before a total of four committees in the House and Senate.
"I don't see any surprises" coming out of the hearings, said an officer on the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He said he expects Petraeus and Crocker to focus on tactical security gains in and around Baghdad in recent months and on shifts in tribal allegiances in favor of U.S. forces, and to argue that those improvements may open a window for greater political reconciliation in Iraq over the next six or seven months.
In any event, this officer said, he expects the current counteroffensive to be maintained into next April. "The surge was designed to last for a year," he said. "I don't think they'll change that."
In a speech yesterday to the convention of the American Legion in Reno, Nev., Bush gave an optimistic assessment of recent events in the war, now in its fifth year. "There are unmistakable signs that our strategy is achieving the objectives we set out," he said. "The momentum is now on our side."
Staff writers Jonathan Weisman and Karen DeYoung contributed to this report.
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