President George W. Bush, preparing to ask Congress for $80 billion more to fund Iraq and Afghanistan operations in 2005, yesterday discussed Iraq's upcoming elections with interim Prime Minister Eyad Allawi, the White House said. In their telephone conversation, Bush and Allawi focused on arrangements for voting on January 30 and "talked about how the elections will be a historic moment for the Iraqi people," spokesman Scott McClellan said. McClellan declined to confirm or deny the precise amount of the spending request. "The president has made it very clear that we're going to do everything we can to support our troops and make sure they have the resources they need to protect themselves and complete their mission," he said. "We're also going to do everything we can to support the Iraqi people as they move forward on building a democratic and peaceful future," McClellan told reporters.
