President Bush acknowledged in a news conference Monday that U.S.-trained Iraqi troops are not ready to take over their country's security and cautioned that next month's elections there will be only the beginning of a long process toward democracy.
Bush also defended Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld against growing criticism. "Beneath that rough and gruff no-nonsense demeanor is a good human being who cares deeply about the military and the grief that war causes," the president said.