Rice Stresses Patience in Iraq Exit Strategy
Under pressure from Capitol Hill to develop an exit strategy from the war in Iraq, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asked America for patience as the United States tries to establish democracy in the Middle East. She stated that although U.S. presence in Iraq is vital to long-term national security, responsibility has already started shifting over to the Iraqis. Rice noted that Iraqi politics and administration are almost operating independently, and a great majority of security for the recent election was performed on their own. The Secretary of State is leaving soon for a trip to the Middle East and Europe.
