Bush says U.S. troop levels in Iraq not to be affected by Washington politics

U.S. President George W. Bush said Wednesday that U.S. troop levels in Iraq will not be influenced by Washington's election-year politics.

"I'll be making up my mind about the troop levels based upon recommendations of those who are on the ground," Bush said in a speech delivered at Capitol Music Hall, Wheeling, West Virginia.

"I'm going to make up my mind based upon achieving a victory, not based upon polls, focus groups or election-year politics," he said.

The comments came on the fifth straight day of the White House's renewed efforts to shore up support for the unpopular Iraq war, which has dragged Bush's approval ratings to some of their lowest levels ever ahead of November's congressional elections.

At Tuesday's White House press conference, the president said it was possible some U.S. troops could still remain in Iraq even after he leaves office in January 2009, leaving the specter of a long-running presence there.

In Wheeling, Bush maintained his overall optimism about the ultimate goal in Iraq while acknowledging tough times lie ahead.

"Look, I'm an optimistic guy. I believe we'll succeed. Let me put it to you this way, if I didn't think we'd succeed I'd pull our troops out," he said.

However, Bush signaled impatience with Iraq's protracted efforts to form a unity government, telling leaders there "it's time" to reach an agreement.

A group of protesters near the speech site rallied against him, holding signs such as, "Remember 2,315 soldiers who died."

A Newsweek magazine poll conducted last week showed Bush's approval rating fell to 36 percent, down 21 points from a year ago.

The survey also found 65 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with Bush's handling of the war.

Source: Xinhua