Bush Defends Embattled War Policy

(CBS/AP)  President Bush said Tuesday a U.S. military pullout from Iraq would be a terrible mistake, beginning a new push defending his embattled war policy. His Pentagon chief said, "Quitting is not an exit strategy."

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said of the Iraqis, "They know that they're the ones that are going to have to grab that country. And it's time."

The administration is under pressure to convince increasingly skeptical Americans that the president's strategy for Iraq is headed in the right direction. The president is to give a speech on the subject Wednesday at the Naval Academy.

Mr. Bush was greeted by anti-war protesters at an event in Denver, where he was to speak at a fund-raising luncheon. More than 100 demonstrators gathered to protest his policies in Iraq, carrying signs that read, "Bring our troops home where they belong," and "Occupation breeds hate."

The unrelenting violence that continues to claim American lives has contributed to a drop in Mr. Bush's popularity, to its lowest level yet, and to growing doubts about the war. It also has led to a debate in Congress about when the 160,000 U.S. troops there should begin to come home.

General George Casey has a plan to bring the U.S. troop level down from 160,000 to less than 100,000 next year, but he won't make any recommendations on carrying it out until after a new Iraqi government is elected next month, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.

The GOP-controlled Senate voted 79-19 this month to urge the president to outline a strategy for "the successful completion of the mission." Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., attracted attention with his call for a withdrawal within six months.

The administration has responded by counseling patience while also signaling it is planning for a way out. Mr. Bush, speaking to reporters from El Paso, Texas, rejected any immediate withdrawal in unusually personal terms.

"I want to defeat the terrorists. And I want our troops to come home," the president said. "But I don't want them to come home without having achieved victory."

His speech Wednesday at Annapolis, Md., was to focus on progress in the effort to train an Iraqi security force and allow the gradual exit of U.S. military forces.

Later speeches over the next two weeks are to emphasize the strides being made in establishing a stable, democratic government and creating a viable economy.

In June, Mr. Bush delivered a prime-time address from Fort Bragg, N.C., on the first anniversary of Iraq's sovereignty. Later in the summer, the president tried to blunt the message of anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, who camped outside his Texas ranch. He returned to the war theme on Veterans Day with a speech accusing congressional Democrats of being "deeply irresponsible" in their criticism of the way he portrayed intelligence about Iraq before the war.

Democratic Sen. Jack Reed, a member of the Armed Services Committee and a former Army Ranger who visited Iraq last month, said the president must give "an honest assessment" pointing out not only the successes in Iraq, but the remaining pitfalls.

"We have to go forward with a plan, not just slogans," he said.

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