White House dismisses setting Iraq withdrawal time

By Tabassum Zakaria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House dismissed calls on Monday for setting a date to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq as a new poll showed a growing number of Americans believe the United States should pull its forces out.

President Bush has repeatedly said that U.S. troops would leave Iraq once Iraqi forces were trained to take over the security of their country.

"The president's talked about how timetables send the wrong message," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.

"It would send the wrong message to the terrorists and it would send the wrong message to the Iraqi people. They have shown they're committed to democracy and freedom, and we're going to stand with them to complete the mission," he said.

A new Gallup Poll shows that nearly six in 10 Americans say the United States should withdraw some or all of its troops from Iraq, up from 49 percent with that view in February, USA Today reported on Monday.

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