At a time of dire deficits, mounting debt, cutbacks on needed services (such as homeland defense), it's good to see that the administration has up to $15 billion lying around in loose change to buy Turkey's cooperation in Gulf War II.

Turkey should not agree to anything until Congress passes any such aid package -- something that would be difficult in the best of circumstances. But with the budget in deep red before war costs are even calculated (between $300-400 billion this year alone), Congress will be a tough nut to crack. Turkey should not base its decision on Bush's promises.

And Bush -- if he's giving away billions here and billions there to get his war on, he should seriously consider shelving his tax cut proposal. At this rate, a $500 billion deficit this year is not out of the realm of possibilities.

But we know that won't happen.