Coalition officials said they wanted to leave that issue to the states.

While the total cost of the proposed bill has yet to be tallied, it will probably reach a few billion dollars, coalition officials said.

"There's more chatter in the system suggesting central control than there was a few days ago," one senior coalition official said today.

Another 239 have been wounded, a coalition official said.

Coalition officials said they thought that homes should have to demonstrate need to benefit from any increased Medicaid dollars.

Coalition officials have recently backtracked on privatization, in part because of the legal concerns.

The senior coalition official said that getting both those documents in place was critical to ensuring a smooth transition.

Coalition officials said two groups of Australian soldiers came under fire for several hours on Thursday.

But the senior coalition official who declined to be identified said there had been problems with keeping units at their posts.

Coalition officials said that no group could operate in this manner without deep engagement with Iraq's ubiquitous intelligence services.