The Associated Press has a major story out confirming that President Bush has been hyping a false Iraq spending deadline.

For weeks, the Bush administration has been trying to force Congress to abandon its support for an Iraq withdrawal timeline by claiming that a “clean” Iraq spending bill must be signed by mid-April or U.S. troops will suffer. In one speech, President Bush warned Congress that “the clock is ticking for our troops in the field“:

BUSH: Congress continues to pursue these [withdrawal] bills, and as they do, the clock is ticking for our troops in the field. Funding for our forces in Iraq will begin to run out in mid-April. Members of Congress need to stop making political statements, and start providing vital funds for our troops.

Days later, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) released a report showing that the Army actually has enough money in its existing budget to operate through June. But Bush and his Iraq allies wouldn’t accept it. Here’s Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Fox on 4/1/07:

FOX: So, Senator McConnell, is this talk about an April deadline for getting the funding bill to the president, is that something of a scare tactic?

MCCONNELL: Well, the problem is CRS is wrong.

But now, the AP reports, the CRS numbers have been confirmed by the Pentagon:

The Pentagon says it has enough money to pay for the Iraq war through June, despite warnings from the White House that troops are being harmed by Congress’ failure to quickly deliver more funds.

The Army is taking a series of “prudent measures” aimed at making sure delays in the bill financing the war do not harm troop readiness, according to instructions sent to Army commanders and budget officials April 14.

President Bush can’t even fear-monger right these days.

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Yesterday was the deadliest day since the escalation strategy began, resulting in the deaths of over 200 people. A car bomb killed 140 in a single blast at the Sadriyah marketplace, making it the deadliest single such car bomb attack since the US-led invasion four years ago. Many Iraqis today are expressing their outrage over the impact that escalation is having on their lives:

“The security plan has big shortcomings. Since such incidents reoccurred, security should have been tightened. There is negligence,” said Naseer al-Ani, a Sunni Arab MP from the Iraqi Islamic Party.

“After two months of the security plan in the hot areas of the city, the attacks have moved to the cold, quiet areas to make them hot, while the hot areas burn,” said [Iraqi parliament member] Nasar al-Rubaie.

Aljazeera.net reported that locals “cursed at the security plan of the prime pinister” in the scene of the bombings. The website added that when Iraqi Army units appeared on the scene, outraged locals hurled insults at the soldiers and chased them out of the area. A US Army patrol entered the district shortly afterwards, only to be received by stones and slugs thrown by the residents. The American force withdrew from the scene as well.

“Where is the government? Where is the security plan?” [65-year-old Abu Adnan] raged, while bystanders crowded to see the three metre (yard) wide and two metre deep hole ripped out of the black tarmac by the force of the car bomb.

“How could anyone bring a car bomb to this place? What were those innocents guilty of?” [28-year-old Imad Basim] demanded. “Where is the government and its security plan?”

“The government is talking about the security plan but dozens of people are dying every day. No one is protecting us,” Sabah Haider, 42, told Reuters as he stood beside a dozen incinerated minibuses.

Rahim Ali, also in Sadriya, said: “The Americans say they are here to protect the Iraqi people but they are doing nothing.”

The increasing presence of the U.S. occupation is fueling a bloody cycle of violence: it motivates terrorists to carry out attacks; the locals blame the attacks on the U.S.; the terrorists then find a new recruiting pool willing to carry out new attacks.