WASHINGTON (AP) -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld acknowledged Thursday progress in the Iraq war has not been going ''well enough or fast enough'' in his first extended remarks since announcing his resignation under political pressure.
Rumsfeld said little about his impending departure when speaking to a friendly audience of students, teachers and military personnel at Kansas State University. Instead, he offered a retrospective of sorts on his two tours as defense chief while echoing President Bush's appraisal that the conflict has been going poorly in recent months.
''I will say this -- it is very clear that the major combat operations were an enormous success,'' he said, of the March 2003 invasion in which Baghdad fell within weeks. ''It's clear that in Phase 2 of this, it has not been going well enough or fast enough.''
Since the U.S. overthrow of Saddam Hussein, a violent insurgency and -- in recent months -- bloody warfare between Muslim sects have erupted.
Democrats demanded Rumsfeld's resignation in the first blush of victory in Tuesday's midterm elections, as they had done throughout the campaign. Unhappiness with the course of the Iraq war was a driving force for voters who brought down the GOP majority in the House and Senate.
Rumsfeld declined to offer advice to former CIA chief Robert Gates, nominated by Bush on Tuesday to replace him, and ducked when asked to grade his performance as defense secretary, a job he has had since the start of the Bush administration. ''I'd let history worry about that,'' he said crisply.
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