No timeframe for Iraq pullout: Bush

The news conference offered Bush a high-profile opportunity to defy urgent calls from lawmakers, including some congressional Republicans, for a specific exit strategy for US troops in Iraq. Setting a timetable for withdrawal would invite insurgents to ‘‘just go ahead and wait us out,’’ he observed, suggesting that Americans who are questioning the mission in the face of a mounting death toll are playing into the insurgents’ hands.

Al-Jaafari worked to help Bush rally support behind the war, saying he’s seeing ‘‘steady and substantial progress’’ in Iraq. ‘‘This is not the time to fall back. We owe (it) to those who have made sacrifices to continue,’’ he said.

The Iraqi leader expressed gratitude towards the US troops for toppling Saddam Hussein and helping Iraqis build a democratic government. He asked for more help from the US and other nations, calling on Bush to follow the lead of President Truman’s post-World War II multi-million dollar Marshall Plan. —Baltimore Sun