Prometheus 6

But Rumsfeld rejected the suggestion that this means the U.S. strategy of "clear, hold and build" is failing.

Bush, Rumsfeld Defend Strategy
They Say Surge In Violence Won't Change Iraq Goals
By Ann Scott Tyson and Michael A. Fletcher
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, October 21, 2006; A01

President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld yesterday defended the U.S. strategy in Iraq, saying the ultimate goals remain unchanged despite escalating violence and increasingly somber assessments from military leaders on the ground.

Speaking at a Washington fundraiser, Bush said the U.S. goal in Iraq "is clear and unchanging": creating a country that can govern and defend itself and "that will be an ally in the war against these extremists."

In a briefing later at the Pentagon, Rumsfeld played down the significance of fighting and sectarian violence that have erupted over the past few days outside Baghdad, as U.S. troops in Iraq suffer some of the highest monthly casualties since the 2003 invasion.

The U.S. military strategy of handing over security to Iraqi forces will never be a "straight, smooth, steady path" and American troops may have to step back in repeatedly to quell outbreaks of violence, Rumsfeld said.