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Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Bush to call failure in Iraq unacceptable
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush will say failure is unacceptable in Iraq and call for between 21,000 and 24,000 additional troops during his 20 minute prime-time address to the nation Wednesday, White House officials said.

Five additional Army brigades -- each with between 3,000 and 4,000 soldiers -- will be sent to nine districts in Baghdad -- the first additional brigade slated to head to Iraq at the end of this month. In addition, 4,000 Marines will be deployed to Anbar province in Western Iraq, the White House told reporters.

To account for the additional troops, the Pentagon plans to extend the normal tour of duty for soldiers and Marines by between three and four months. The Pentagon will also activate additional National Guard and reserve units.

The White House will ask for $5.6 billion to cover the costs of the additional troops, and $1.2 billion for rebuilding and jobs programs in Iraq.

White House officials also said the president has assurances from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that he will get tough with Shiite and Sunni insurgents.

The President spent part of the morning speaking with Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish leaders as he makes final preparations on his speech.

-- CNN Anchor Wolf Blitzer
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