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The '''troop surge in Iraq''' has also been called , endorsed in December 2006 by supporters at the [[American Enterprise Institute]]<ref>George Lakoff, [http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/contributors/788 " Escalating Truth,"] ''BuzzFlash'McCain doctrine'''&mdash;, February 14, 2007.</ref>, specifically called for a label coined by [[John Edwards]] "large and sustained surge of U.S. forces to describe secure and protect critical areas of Baghdad" with "a proposed surge in troop levels and escalation of at least 30,000 combat troops lasting 18 months or so." In early January 2007 it was reported that the military told President [[war in IraqGeorge W. Bush]] named after its "chief advocate"that it had 9, Senator [[John McCain]] 000 soldiers available for a surge (R-Arizwith 10,000 in reserve in Kuwait and the U.S.). <ref>Nico Pitney, [http://wwwthinkprogress.thepilot.comorg/stories2007/2006122801/news05/localreport-military-tells-bush-it-has-only-9000-troops-available-for-surge/20061228Edwards.html"CBS: Military Tells Bush It Has Only 9,000 Troops Available For ‘Surge’,"] [http://www.abcnews.go''Think Progress'', January 5, 2007.com</Politics/wireStory?id=2762534]ref>

Early supporters In early July 2007, Bush "affirmed his commitment to his escalation plan, stating, 'I'm going to remind the people in the audience today that troop levels will be decided by our commanders on the ground, not by political figures in Washington, D.C.'" However, the ''DC Examiner'' reported July 25, 2007, "that 'a bunch of arm chair generals in Washington' from the American Enterprise Institute 'almost single handedly convinced the White House to change its strategy' in weekend meetings last December. The AEI escalation plan reportedly 'won out over plans from the [[Pentagon]] and [[U.S. Central Command]]'."<ref>Satyam Khanna, [http://wwwthinkprogress.buzzflash.comorg/2007/07/25/articlesaei-escalation/contributors"Bush’s Escalation ‘Hammered Out’ By ‘A Bunch Of Armchair Generals’ From AEI,"] ''Think Progress'', July 25, 2007.</788 ref> "AEI military historian [[Frederick Kagan]], retired Army Gen. [[Jack Keane|John Keane]] and other surgeproponents" made trips to the White House for meeting sessions which even included Vice President [[Dick Cheney]] at . "'We took the results of our planning session immediately to people in the administration,' said AEI analyst [[American Enterprise InstituteThomas Donnelly]] specifically called for , a "large and sustained surge of Uplanner.S" "The ''Examiner'' adds that AEI still retains a strong influence on the Iraq war, as Keane (ret. forces ) is an adviser to secure [[David Petraeus|Petraeus]] and protect critical areas of BaghdadKagan left for [[Iraq]] this past week."<ref>Satyam Khanna, [http://thinkprogress.org/2007/07/25/aei-escalation/ " with Bush’s Escalation ‘Hammered Out’ By ‘A Bunch Of Armchair Generals’ From AEI,"a surge of at least 30] ''Think Progress'', July 25,000 combat troops lasting 18 months or so2007.</ref> The "surge" In early 2007 it was reported that has also been called the military told President '''McCain doctrine''', a label coined by [[George W. BushJohn Edwards]] that it had 9,000 soldiers available for to describe a proposed surge (with 10,000 in reserve in Kuwait troop levels and escalation of the U.S[[war in Iraq]] named after its "chief advocate", Senator [[John McCain]] (R-Ariz.). <ref>[http://thinkprogresswww.thepilot.orgcom/stories/20061228/news/local/200720061228Edwards.html "Edwards Back In For '08,"] ''The Virginian Pilot'', December 28, 2006.</01ref><ref>John Dunbar, [http:/05/report-military-tells-bush-it-has-only-9000-troops-available-for-surgewww.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2762534 "Lugar: Bush, Congress Should Discuss War. Sen. Richard Lugar Says Bush Should Consult With Lawmakers Before Changing Iraq War Strategy,"] Associated Press (ABC News), December 31, 2006.</ref>

At a January 5, 2007, [[American Enterprise Institute]] forum, [[Frederick W. Kagan]], former Gen. [[Jack Keane]], McCain and [[Joseph I. Lieberman]] (I-Conn.) presented their plan for a surge. They called for a "large and sustained surge of U.S. forces to secure and protect critical areas of Baghdad." The surge would involve "at least 30,000 combat troops lasting 18 months or so." <ref>[http://www.aei.org/events/eventID.1446,filter.all/event_detail.asp"Iraq: A Turning Point,"] [http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-usiraq6jan06With Reports from Iraq from Senators John McCain and Joseph Lieberman,0American Enterprise Institute,5690561January 5,full2007.story?coll=la-home-nation]</ref>

"Even the architects of the new plan, Frederick Kagan and Jack Keane, seem rather concerned," Isaac Chotiner commented<ref>Isaac Chotinen, [http://www.tnr.com/blog/theplank?pid=75621 commented"Kagan/Keane Not Pleased with Kagan/Keane Plan,"] ''The Plank''/''The New Republic'', January 29, 2007.</ref> January 29, 2007, for ''The New Republic'' Online's ''The Plank''.

:"These days, Kagan, in particular, has been careful to differentiate the AEI plan from what Bush actually proposed. The AEI blueprint advocated that American and Iraqi forces should work together -- with the more competent Americans in the lead and in control. The units would operate 'within a single command structure,' Kagan's written plan for a surge states. 'Unity of effort is essential for success in this kind of endeavor.' Small wonder that Kagan said about Bush's ideas in an interview, 'This is not our plan. The White House is not briefing our plan.'"&mdash;Mark Benjamin, ''Salon'', January 29, 2007.<ref>Mark Benjamin, [http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/01/29/split_command/ index_np.html "Hawks knock surge plan's command structure. Buried in the Bush escalation plan is a who's-in-charge nightmare that violates U.S. military doctrine. Now even John McCain and Frederick Kagan are balking,"] ''Salon''], January 29, 2007.</ref>