President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki began a two-hour meeting on Tuesday, with the White House saying Bush has confidence in the Iraqi leader despite his government's failure to improve security in Baghdad. Bush and al-Maliki met at the White House, with efforts to improve security in Iraq's bloody capital high on the agenda. With the violence in Baghdad continuing, the Pentagon announced Monday that the United States and Iraq are moving thousands of troops into the city from other parts of Iraq. Al-Maliki's six-week-old security plan, which Bush praised on his surprise visit to Baghdad on June 13, clearly is not working, and the two leaders likely will discuss a substitute plan in their Tuesday meeting, White House spokesman Tony Snow said.
