Senior administration officials have said that pouring more troops into the most violent of the Baghdad neighborhoods is among the possibilities that Mr. Bush may now consider. But they cautioned that the president was hesitant to commit more forces unless Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki provided far more Iraqi troops to the effort. Until now, Mr. Bush has resisted calls from Republicans like Senator John McCain of Arizona, to increase the size of the American force, just as he has rebuffed calls for setting deadlines for the withdrawal of American troops.
On Thursday morning, Mr. Bush said, “I’m open to any idea or suggestion that will help us achieve our goals of defeating the terrorists and ensuring that Iraq’s democratic government succeeds.”
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