In the wake of the deaths of 14 US Marines in Iraq, President George W. Bush said today the best way to honor the dead is to complete the mission and he rejected any early US withdrawal.
"We're at war. We're facing an enemy that is ruthless. If we put out a (pullout) timetable the enemy would adjust their tactics. ... The timetable depends on our ability to train the Iraqis, to get the Iraqis ready to fight and then our troops will come home with the honor they have earned," Mr Bush said in a speech.
Mr Bush was sticking to a familiar position despite the grim news that 21 Marines have been killed in three days in Iraq, including 14 today in the deadliest roadside bomb attack since the Iraq war began.
Those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said, "have died in a noble cause and a selfless cause."
"Their families can know that American citizens pray for them, and the families can know that will honor ther loved ones' sacrifice by completing the mission, by laying the foundation for peace for generations to come," Mr Bush said in remarks to the American Legislative Exchange Council.
Mr Bush insisted progress was being made in Iraq and that he has a "strategy for success in Iraq" by hunting down insurgents, training Iraqis to provide for their own security and helping Iraqi political leaders write a constitution and prepare for elections.
He said US troops would be pulled out "as soon as possible, but not before the mission is complete."