Thursday, December 1 2005 09:51 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: Refusing to buckle under pressure to withdraw troops from Iraq, President George W Bush yesterday (Nov 30, 2005) struck a defiant note asserting that the US would not pullout till 'victory' is achieved in the war-ravaged country and that he was ready to send more forces if needs be.

"America will not run in the face of car bombers and assassins so long as I am your commander in chief," he said in a speech at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

"We will stay as long as necessary to complete the mission. If our military leaders there tell us we need more troops, I will send them," said Bush, who is facing dwindling public support and increasing attack from leading lawmakers for staying the course in Iraq that has resulted in the death of more than 2,100 US troops and left nearly 16,000 wounded since the March 2003 invasion.

The speech came hours after the White House released a strategy document on Iraq war which refused to lay down a time table for withdrawal of troops.

"No war has ever been won on a timetable," the 35-page document titled "Our National Strategy for Victory in Iraq" said. arguing that setting out a timeline would embolden the insurgents and the terrorists and harm US' interests.

"We expect, but cannot guarantee that our force posture will change over the next year, as the political process advances and Iraqi security forces grow and gain experience."

"While our military presence may become less visible, it will remain lethal and decisive", it said.

"It is not realistic to expect a fully functioning democracy, able to defeat its enemies and peacefully reconcile generational grievances, to be in place less than three years after Saddam (Hussein) was finally removed from power", The White House strategy document said.

Bush also declined to set any deadline for pullout saying, "decisions about troops levels will be driven by the conditions on the ground in Iraq and the good judgement of our commanders, not by artificial timetables set by politicians in Washington".

But the President did not present a strategy that was markedly differently from has been said before, once again stressing that Iraqis are fighting better, growing more independent and capable, control more territory and allowing US and coalition forces to concentrate more on training.

"Our goal is to train enough Iraqi forces so they can carry the fight and this will take time and patience. And it's worth the time and it's worth the effort", Bush said, adding that pullout of troops would send the wrong message that 'America is weak' and a signal that the country will abandon its friends.

"I'm interested in winning. I want to defeat the terrorists. And I want our troops to come home", Bush said earlier in a speech at Texas. "But I don't want them to come home without having achieved victory. We've got a strategy for victory".

Democrats did not wait for Bush to finish his address at Maryland. The Minority Leader Harry Reid said in a statement that the President "recycled his tired rhetoric of 'stay the course' and once again missed an opportunity to lay out a real strategy for success in Iraq that will bring our troops safely home". The war in Iraq is taking a heavy political toll on Bush with his approval rating plummeting to lowest level in the last five years. There have been growing calls in Congress even from conservatives on both sides of the aisle that it is time for America to start the winding down process in Iraq.