LA Times reports that the President left out another key expenditure: the cost of the troop increase in Iraq. The Bush administration's $142-billion war budget for next year leaves out money for the planned troop buildup in Iraq, a strong indication that the Pentagon views the increase as a short-term tactic to stem the escalating violence in Baghdad. But Defense officials could not provide assurances Monday that the troop level would fall back again by next year, and acknowledged they may be forced to return to Congress for more money to pay for the extra forces if sectarian conflict continues to rage. The projection of a balanced budget in 2012 just isn't credible. The President's budget wouldn't balance the budget by 2012.