US ministers defend massive spending for Iraq

WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) President George W Bush's defense and foreign policy chiefs defended massive US spending in Iraq today to lawmakers wanting to know when US troops can come home and how much the war will cost.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice kicked off testimony to the Senate Appropriations Committee and was briefly interrupted by a protester who shouted ''blood is on your hands'' and ''how many of you have children going to war?'' before he was led out.

Another protester then interrupted, saying, ''Fire Rumsfeld.

Fire Rumsfeld. This is an illegal and immoral war,'' referring to Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who was sitting alongside Rice.

The White House is asking Congress for 70 billion dollars in new emergency funds for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and will seek an additional 50 billion dollars for those wars early in fiscal 2007.

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