Bush's comments came a day before he was to make the first in a series of speeches before Iraq's December 15 elections hoping to convince a skeptical US public two and a half years after the war began that he has a plan to end it.

The remarks in Annapolis, Maryland, on Wednesday were to focus on efforts to build self-sufficient Iraqi security forces, a pivotal factor in how long US troops remain, said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

"As the Iraqi forces are able to take control of more territory and the political process moves forward, then well be able to lower the number of troops we have in Iraq," he told reporters.

"In 2006, I think, you know, the expectation is that conditions will be changing on the ground. Weve been making real progress with the training of Iraqi security forces and that conditions will permit us to be able to reduce our presence," said McClellan.

Bush has rejected mounting calls for a timetable by which US forces will withdraw, and taken aim at a growing chorus urging him to pull them out as soon as possible.

"We've heard some people say pull them out right now. That's a huge mistake. It'd be a terrible mistake," he said. "It sends a bad message to our troops. And it sends a bad message to our enemy and to the Iraqis."

"The commanders will make the decisions. See, that's what the people want. The people don't want me making decisions based upon politics. They want me to make decisions based upon the recommendation from our generals on the ground," the US leader said during a visit to this southwestern city.

"We will make decisions about troop levels based upon the capacity of the Iraqis to take the fight to the enemy. And I will make decisions based upon the level of troops. Based upon the recommendations by the commanders on the ground," Bush said.

The president later traveled to Denver, Colorado, for a political fundraiser ahead of the November 2006 legislative and gubernatorial elections, and was met downtown by hundreds of angry protesters against the war.

One contingent mobbed buses carrying reporters who follow Bush, waving signs like "Bring Our Troops Home Where They Belong" and "We Are Not Safer," for several minutes before police dispersed them.

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