Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz

[darrels joy]

New York's Daily News quotes Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz as saying that on his recent trip to Iraq, a Najaf resident asked him at a town hall meeting: "What's going to happen to us if George Bush loses the election?":

Wolfowitz didn't mention the Democrats, but he suggested the question sums up Iraqi fears that a new team in the White House would abandon them.

Wolfowitz said he tried to assure the Iraqis, but "when they hear the message that we might not be there next year, they get very scared."

With most of the Democratic presidential candidates vying over who will be the quickest to hand victory to Saddam, one can hardly fault the Iraqis for worrying. On the other hand, here's a bit of good news: The House today voted 298-121 for final passage of the $87 billion package to fund military and reconstruction operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Senate is expected to follow suit later today. The package is all grants, Congress having wisely rejected an effort to grab Iraqi oil money by making some of the reconstruction money a loan.