I WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE...

I recall that we were told that this escalation was an Iraqi plan but I haven't found that yet. I did find this admission from Press Secretary Tony Snow that the previous two escalations in Baghdad didn't work:

MR. SNOW: ... It is obvious that the two Baghdad security plans didn't work. (1/9/07)

Yup, I found it in a backgrounder press conference before Fredo announced the new Iraq "plan":

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:The good news is that the Iraqi government has -- they have come forward with a plan. This was first given to the President when he was in Amman, Jordan, and met with Prime Minister Maliki. Maliki's security people, the government security people, and our commanders have been working on that plan. (1/10/07)

I was looking for this because recently I've heard wingnuts describe the escalation as Gen. Petraeus' plan, not Maliki's, and I thought that this was another example of their revisionism.