President Bush plans to give Pakistan a “substantial discount”—or perhaps compensation of some sort—on its purchase of 36 F-16 aircraft to show appreciations for Islamabad’s efforts in the war on terror. According to The News, President Pervez Musharraf has received such assurance during one of several telephone conversations with Bush. (The two are set to meet face-to-face on Friday at the White House.) Congress, which probably still feels somewhat on the outs about the F-16 purchase, may take a different view.
The Senate passed Republicans’ sweeping tax-and-spending package July 1 in a 51-50 vote, the culmination of a 27-hour marathon legislative session. The package—often called the reconciliation bill—includes a $150 billion package of defense funds that accounts for a significant portion of the money the Air Force and Space Force want…
