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Bush in his speech acknowledges that the U.S. erred in not applying sufficient force in Iraq earlier.

``Our past efforts to secure Baghdad failed for two principal reasons: There were not enough Iraqi and American troops to secure neighborhoods that had been cleared of terrorists and insurgents,'' Bush will say, according to the excerpts. ``And there were too many restrictions on the troops we did have.''

Reducing the U.S. commitment now would result in troops ``being forced to stay in Iraq even longer, and confront an enemy that is even more lethal,'' Bush will say.

In attempt to head off skeptics of greater military involvement, Bush's aides in briefings emphasized that the administration is pressing Iraqis to take a greater role and Maliki has committed to cracking down on the militias that are fueling sectarian violence and spending the money necessary to make progress on rebuilding.

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Iraqi forces will be operating under new rules of engagement that will give them greater freedom to combat armed groups, including Shiite militias such as the Mahdi Army, the administration officials said. Many among Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority have complained that the Shiite-dominated government has countenanced Shiite militia violence against Sunni civilians.

``Some members of the Iraqi Security Forces, notably the police, are contributing to sectarian violence,'' a White House fact sheet on the new strategy says.

The administration officials refused to disclose what the U.S. will do if the Iraqis are unable to meet these commitments, saying that would be counterproductive to the effort and helpful to U.S. adversaries.

Still, they described Bush as increasingly impatient with Iraqi leaders' failure to live up to previous pledges and determined to hold them to their new promises. The president will make it clear tonight that the U.S. commitment to Iraq isn't indefinite, although he will set no timetable, they said.

According to information provided by the administration, as many as five combat brigades, or about 17,500 soldiers, would be sent Baghdad to help clear the capital city of insurgents. Another 4,000 troops, or two Marine regiments, will be sent to Anbar province. About 80 percent of the sectarian violence occurs within a 30-mile radius of Baghdad, according to the administration officials."