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 WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush worked Saturday to finish his new war plan that could send as many as 20,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq and provide more money for jobs and reconstruction programs.
In Washington, Bush, who will announce his plan as early as Wednesday, held discussions with his national security advisers and then headed out of the White House for a bike ride. In Baghdad, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced that Iraqi forces would launch a new effort to wrest control of neighborhoods in the capital from Sunni insurgents and Shiite death squads.
Military officials say Bush is considering sending two to five brigades — up to 20,000 troops — to help tamp down violence that is preventing political reconciliation and rebuilding efforts in Iraq. The idea of a troop buildup is getting a cool reception on Capitol Hill and from some military leaders who claim there is no military solution to the problems in Iraq where 140,000 troops already are deployed.
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