President George W Bush said today that American patience over Iraq had its limits but pledged not to put unbearable pressure on the country's leaders, after a protest by Iraq's prime minister.
With less than two weeks before November 7 elections in which doubts over Iraq could cost Bush's Republicans control of the US Congress, Bush sought to explain his Iraq policies to Americans and smooth over new frictions with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
Worries over increasing sectarian violence in Iraq have become a top issue for American voters ahead of the elections.
The concerns, accompanied by calls to withdraw US troops, are driven by a mounting US military death toll that reached 90 so far in October, the deadliest month for a year.
"We're pressing Iraq's leaders to take bold measures to save their country. We're making it clear that American patience is not unlimited," Bush told a White House news conference.
Even so, he added, "We will not put more pressure on the Iraqi government than it can bear."
Bush said the United States remained committed to Iraq "until the job is done," but would adjust tactics to confront a changing enemy.
He voiced qualified confidence in Maliki. "We're with him as long as he continues to make tough decisions," Bush said.
Tensions between the two leaders surfaced a day after US officials in Baghdad said Iraq had agreed to a "schedule" toward a stable democracy.
Maliki distanced himself from the US-announced "timeline" to end sectarian violence and criticized a raid on a Shi'ite militia stronghold aimed at a suspected death squad leader.
"The Americans have the right to review their policies, but we do not believe in a timetable and no one will impose one on us," Maliki, himself a Shia, told a Baghdad news conference.