The new nugget of information tucked into President Bush’s Sunday night address to the nation was this: the U.S. needs $87 billion to continue fighting the war on terrorism.

Couched in the terms Bush presented Sunday, it was a no-brainer. As a nation we’re committed to fighting this war. With memories of Sept. 11 resurfacing this week, it’s hard not to see the necessity.

But by Monday morning it had become as much a question of politics as national security. Members of Congress from both parties were questioning the details of the request &045; and how it will match up with the country’s domestic needs.

And while lawmakers are right to ask questions, the Bush administration could save a lot of time by providing some of those answers quickly.

A complaint of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle is that the administration has provided few details of how the money will be spent &045; and how the money Congress approved in April was and will be spent.

Among the suspicions of conspiracy theorists, of course, is the idea that much of the money will be directed toward Iraq rebuilding contracts for companies like Halliburton, to which Vice President Dick Cheney is tied. According to the White House’s own fact sheet, though, only $5 billion will be used for actual efforts for rebuilding infrastructure in Iraq.

While the $87 billion request will likely turn out to be a no-brainer, it won’t be an overnight one. Congress will likely wrangle over the politics of this issue long enough for it to make a difference in a certain presidential campaign.

Maybe that’s what politicians don’t understand about why voters get so frustrated. We want them to argue the merits of such a request &045; not the politics.