US not rushing to leave Iraq: Bush

"The way I would put it is, American troops will be leaving as quickly as possible, but they won't be leaving until we have completed our mission," Bush said in a Washington Post interview published Sunday.

"And part of the mission is to train Iraqis so they can fight the terrorists. And the sooner the Iraqis are prepared better prepared, better equipped to fight the sooner our troops will start coming home," Bush said.

Powell told National Public Radio last week that he believes Americans could begin leaving Iraq this year as the Iraqis take on a larger security role. Powell, in his final days as the government's chief diplomat, said he could not give a timeline when all the troops will be home.

Bush said the US military is "constantly assessing" if Iraqi security forces are up to the job, allowing the United States to begin pulling out. The president would not commit to significantly reduce troops by the end of his second term in 2009.