(10 Jan 2007) HEADLINE: Bush sending Iraq more troops at 'crucial moment'
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CAPTION: President Bush is sending more U.S. troops to Iraq at what he calls a "crucial moment" for its democracy, but in so doing he's ensured a showdown with the new, Democratic-run Congress. (Jan. 10)
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[Notes:ANCHOR VOICE]
[Notes:U.S. troops, Baghdad bloodshed]
Shrugging off the advice of generals, lawmakers and even the Iraq Study Group, President Bush has decided on a major escalation -- ordering 21-thousand-500 more U-S troops to Iraq in hopes of halting the daily scenes of carnage.
[Notes:Wide speech, push in]
But in a prime-time speech, he pitched it as BOTH a rescue mission for Iraqi democracy, AND a step toward eventual withdrawal.
BUSH: SOT "If we increase our support at this crucial moment, and help the Iraqis break the current cycle of violence, we can hasten the day our troops begin coming home."
[Notes:Nouri al-Maliki]
Starting to leave now, he says, would topple Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government -- giving extremists a huge victory.
[Notes:More U.S. troops]
However, the president made clear America's commitment is not open-ended, and Iraqis must do their part.
BUSH: SOT "If the Iraqi government does not follow through on its promises, it will lose the support of the American people -- and it will lose the support of the Iraqi people. Now is the time to act."
[Notes:Moqtada and his boys]
That means cracking down on Shiite militias, even though the biggest belongs to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, a key al-Maliki ally.
[Notes:Other Iraqi leaders -- Sunni Tariq al-Hashemi, Kurd Jalal Talibani]
It also means making deals with Sunnis and Kurds to share more power -- AND Iraq's oil wealth.
[Notes:Dems]
Yet, for the Democrats who now run Congress, Bush's plan was more of the same. And they're vowing to put it to a vote.
DURBIN: SOT "Escalation of this war is not the change the American people called for in the last election. Instead of a new direction, the president's plan moves the American commitment in Iraq in the wrong direction." Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
But Bush's backers say it at least provides hope Iraq WON'T be another Vietnam. Frank Gaffney was a top Pentagon official under Ronald Reagan.
GAFFNEY: The president is absolutely right. We have to succeed. Whether these steps are enough to do that or not remains to be seen". Frank Gaffney, President, Center for Security Policy.
[Notes:Standup close]
The president's plan culminates three months of consultation. But in that time, Iraq has spiraled further downward, the U-S death toll has topped three-thousand and public backing for the war's hit an all-time low. Aides say Bush knows the clock is ticking on his plan. As one aide put it, "America's patience is running out."
MS, The Associated Press, the White House
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