Bush says he won't be rushed on Iraq changes

President Bush said Wednesday he will not be rushed into a decision on "a new way forward in Iraq," but pledged that his new strategy will give troops there all the tools they need to "complete their mission."

In a message for the troops, Bush said, "I am listening to a lot of advice to develop a strategy to help you succeed, a lot of consultations. I will be delivering my plans after a long deliberation, after steady deliberation.

I'm not going to be rushed into making a decision." Bush said that during his consultations he had heard some "interesting" ideas, but would not specifically address them, and some "ideas that would lead to defeat." (Watch the debate on whether more troops should be sent to Iraq ) "And I reject those ideas," he said.

"Ideas such as leaving before the job is done. Ideas such as not helping this (Iraqi) government take the necessary and hard steps to be able to do its job." Bush spoke after a meeting with top Pentagon officials as he seeks a new strategy for Iraq.

He met with Vice President Dick Cheney, outgoing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Watch Bush discuss successes, challenges in Iraq ) The president said he wanted incoming Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who will be sworn in Monday, "to have time to evaluate the situation" and come up with his own ideas on how to proceed.

Bush renewed his pledge to collaborate with the Democratic-controlled Congress, The Associated Press reported, and said his new strategy would include political and economic elements.

"It's much more than a military operation," he said, adding that the plan will include a law guaranteeing that Iraq's oil resources be shared by all segments of the population.

Baghdad security

Iraqi plan for Baghdad security The president also had a 15-minute telephone conversation with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, who a few days ago sharply criticized the Iraq Study Group report. In a written statement, Talabani said that Bush assured him that he would make no decisions on his new Iraq strategy that would be "against your interests," telling Talabani that he supports his efforts to achieve national reconciliation.

Talabani, the statement said, thanked Bush for his role in the liberation of Iraq and said the Iraqi government is moving forward.

He pledged to work with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on his efforts to implement a Baghdad security plan and to initiate a national reconciliation project. (Watch the struggle between Sunni and Shiite Muslims ) The Iraqi government's plan for Baghdad would put its security forces in the lead and place coalition forces at the edges of the capital, al-Maliki's national security adviser said.

Mowaffak al-Rubaie, who discussed the plan in a New York Times interview, elaborated on it with CNN Wednesday.

"The idea is for the Iraqi security forces in Baghdad to assume more responsibilities," he told CNN. "We need to be able to be given a chance of proving ourselves.

Even if we make a mistake, this is going to be an Iraqi mistake and we will learn from our mistakes." Under the plan, coalition forces would provide logistical and intelligence support, and some troops would be embedded within the Iraqi security forces "to make sure they're doing their job properly," al-Rubaie said.

More troops?

Meanwhile Wednesday, bomb attacks in Baghdad and Kirkuk killed at least 23 Iraqis, and 21 bullet-riddled bodies were found throughout the capital. (Full story) Increase in troop levels possible A major question is whether Bush should dispatch more troops to Iraq to try to restore order and help push political amity, a move the president has not ruled out. That would go against the advice of the Iraq Study Group, which opposed deploying more troops.

Bush is studying the study group's report and gathering the analysis of others in the government before he decides on what to do next in Iraq.

Administration officials say Bush is "not satisfied" with some of the information he has been getting and "is asking people to get him more" information on various options in Iraq.

A senior official said he believed the study group is losing "a lot of its shine" as its recommendations are being analyzed and "matched up against the realities" on the ground.

On Tuesday, the president's top field commanders in the region pressed him for more money to bolster the Iraqi military's armored vehicles, body armor and other equipment, the AP reported, quoting a defense specialist familiar with the discussion.

As Bush mulls short-term strategy shifts in Iraq, officials said that the president is inclined to support calls to increase the overall size of the Army and the Marine Corps but that before any final decision, he wants to hear Gates' views on the issue. Gates has said he wants to first study whether existing forces around the world can be reassigned.

The study group was a bipartisan U.S. commission co-chaired by former Secretary of State James Baker and former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Lee Hamilton.

Calling the situation in Iraq "grave and deteriorating," it issued 79 recommendations for improvement in Iraq.

While the group opposed setting any timetable or deadline for an American withdrawal, it said most U.S. combat units could be out of Iraq by the first quarter of 2008.

After the study group's recommendations were unveiled, the White House announced plans for Bush to spell out his stance in a speech to the nation, probably before Christmas. But that has been put off until January.

The timing for the speech could be anywhere from January 3 to 15, and the administration is factoring in the college football championship game on January 8 in its determination of scheduling, administration officials say. CNN's Jamie McIntyre and John King contributed to this report.

(Courtesy Reuters)