WASHINGTON, Dec 13: President George Bush said on Wednesday he would not be rushed into deciding how to change his Iraq policy after putting off his speech on the subject from next week to next month.

Mr Bush, speaking after talks with top Pentagon officials, said one reason for the delay was to give the incoming defence secretary, Robert Gates, to be able to provide input on Iraq when he takes over from Donald Rumsfeld.

“I'm listening to a lot of advice to develop a strategy to help you succeed. There’s a lot of consultations taking place and as I announced yesterday I will be delivering my plans after a long deliberation,” Mr Bush said.

“I’m not going to be rushed into making a difficult decision, a necessary decision to say to our troops: `we're going to give you the tools necessary to succeed and a strategy to succeed’,” Mr Bush said.—Reuters