Forget the idea of a special tax to pay for the Afghanistan war troop buildup.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Thursday all but killed the idea, which has been pushed by House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wisc.

"I am not in support of the proposal of Mr. Obey," she told her weekly news conference.

The plan has been seen as unlikely anyway, since senators were cool to the idea. But still to be determined is how the Obama administration plans to pay for the anticipated $40 billion cost of the escalation.

"When the President makes a request, we will make a judgment about what support it has, and some of that will relate to how it affects the deficit," Pelosi said.

"The Bush Administration has run up trillions of dollars in war costs.  Not many people ever ask how it is going to be paid for on the Republican side.  We want to be responsible about reducing the deficit, and so we will see all of the priorities that we have in perspective and with bringing our budget deficit under control."