President Bush said for the first time yesterday that he plans to send troops to help stabilize Liberia, but he said he has not decided how many and did not say if they would have a combat role. Bush, during an Oval Office meeting with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, stopped short of committing the combat troops Annan said are needed to preserve the unsteady truce in Liberia. Other possibilities include deployment of headquarters, transport or medical units. “We’ll participate with the troops,” Bush said. “We want to help.” Administration officials said the most likely scenario is the deployment of a small contingent of peacekeepers that would allow the United States to take a leadership role without overextending the military. Full Story