President Bush announced plans Wednesday night to escalate the war in Iraq and send over 20,000 more troops. He said he took responsibility for past mistakes but that more troops are needed to pacify Baghdad and other parts of the country. The President also threatened military action against Iran and Syria. We play excerpts of his address.

As President Bush announced plans last night to escalate the war in Iraq and send over 20,000 more troops, he also threatened direct military action against Iran and Syria.

The President announced the deployment of an additional carrier strike group to the region and he vowed to seek out and destroy those who are providing material support to U.S. enemies in Iraq.

President Bush: "Succeeding in Iraq also requires defending its territorial integrity and stabilizing the region in the face of extremist challenges. This begins with addressing Iran and Syria. These two regimes are allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq. Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops. We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq.

"We're also taking other steps to bolster the security of Iraq and protect American interests in the Middle East. I recently ordered the deployment of an additional carrier strike group to the region. We will expand intelligence-sharing and deploy Patriot air defense systems to reassure our friends and allies. We will work with the governments of Turkey and Iraq to help them resolve problems along their border. And we will work with others to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and dominating the region."

Hours after the President spoke, U.S. forces raided the Iranian consulate office in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil. The troops broke into the office, seized documents and computers and arrested five employees.

On Iraq, President said he took responsibility for past mistakes, but he said more troops are needed to pacify Baghdad and other parts of the country.