Bush to Urge Patience in Iraq War

President Bush will urge the American people to be patient in a speech Wednesday defending the war in Iraq.

According to portions of the speech released by the White House, Mr. Bush will compare the conflict in Iraq to previous U.S. military efforts in Asia.

Mr. Bush will liken Islamic extremists to Japanese militarists during World War Two, and communists in Korea and Vietnam during the Cold War.

The White House says today's speech will describe how "America's patience and perseverance" in Asia led to a democratic and prosperous region.

The president will give the address before the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in the midwestern city of Kansas City, Missouri.

Mr. Bush acknowledged "frustration" with the current Iraqi government Tuesday at a summit in Canada.

The president said the fundamental question is whether the Iraqi government will respond to the demands of the people. He said if the Iraqi government does not meet the demands, then it is up to the Iraqi people to make changes -- not U.S. politicians.

Democratic Senator Carl Levin on Monday called for Iraqi lawmakers to oust Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said he hoped the government would be replaced with one that is, in his words, less sectarian and more unifying.

The U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, Tuesday described the progress of the Iraqi government as "extremely disappointing and frustrating for all concerned."

Crocker and the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, are to brief the U.S. Congress in September with an assessment of the war.

Some information for this report was provided by AP