President George W. Bush’s new plan for Iraq had its genesis in proposal from Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who pledged more Iraqi efforts to bolster security if the United States would send more troops, a Republican senator said on Monday. Sen. Gordon Smith, who in December criticized the war in a Senate floor speech, said Bush indicated in a Monday meeting with a group of Republican senators and top administration officials that he was preparing to send roughly 20,000 more U.S. troops to Iraq. Full Story