One can assume that Bush/Rove would've strongly preferred holding off on any requests for money to further fund the Iraq effort until after the election. The fact that they've been forced to request a mere $25 bil. now suggests to me that this figure almost certainly is woefully low. It has to be the absolute bare minimum to keep things running over there. Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., said Thursday that the administration is dribbling out requests for supplemental appropriations "to conceal the full costs of meeting the challenge in Iraq until after the election." Even the ultra-right Cato Institute web site lists the following:

"Reversing course, the Bush administration asked Republican congressional leaders yesterday to add $25 billion to next year's budget to help pay for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, abandoning plans to put off requests for new money until after the November elections," the Baltimore Sun reports.

"The funding is only the first installment of what the administration expects to need for next year. Military leaders and some lawmakers put that overall figure at about $50 billion. But it is a politically palatable way to inject new money into the military this fall, without the need for a congressional vote on Iraq on the eve of the presidential election."