U.S. President George Bush says he is not satisfied with the situation in Iraq but it is critical for the safety of America that troops finish the work they have started.

Bush was speaking at a press conference in Washington Wednesday morning.

He warned that abandoning Iraq now would mean handing the nation to terrorists, giving them vast oil reserves and a safe haven from which to "launch new attacks on America."

In the sombre speech, Bush acknowledged the U.S. is taking heavy casualties. The war has claimed more than 90 U.S. soldiers in October alone, marking the deadliest month this year for U.S. troops.  More than 2,800 U.S. service members have died in Iraq since the war began.

"I know a lot of Americans aren't satisfied with the situation in Iraq," Bush said.

"I'm not satisfied either."

On Tuesday, U.S. officials released a new timeline for Iraq's Shiite-led government. It set specific steps the government should take to calm violence in Baghdad, and acknowledged more American troops might be needed to quell bloodshed in the nation.

Bush didn't address specific troop numbers in his Wednesday speech, which came 13 days before midterm elections, instead saying the military is employing shifting strategies to meet the challenge.

"My point to the American people is that we're constantly adjusting our tactics to achieve victory," Bush said.

He pledged the U.S. will win the war "unless we leave before the job is done," cautioning that "a military solution alone will not stop violence."

He listed three non-military efforts that are currently underway:

• Working with political and religious leaders across Iraq to urge them to restrain their followers and stop sectarian violence;
• Helping Iraqi leaders to complete a "national compact" to resolve the most difficult issues facing the country, such as disarming illegal militias and death squads;
• And reaching out to other nearby Arab states, such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan to persuade them to support the Iraqi government's efforts.

But Bush said victory in Iraq is "going to take a long time" and the U.S. "will not put more pressure on the Iraqi government than it can bear."

Iraq has been dominating the political debate in America and is shaping up to be the top issue in the approaching mid-term election.

Recent polls indicate most Americans are unhappy with the way Bush has handled the war and Republicans are anxious about losing control of the House or Senate -- or both.

In his speech, Bush rejected calls to sharply increase pressure on the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to assume more responsibility for security and pointed out the new government has only been in office for five months.

"We're pressing Iraq's leaders to take bold measures to save their country.

We're making it clear that America's patience is not unlimited," Bush said.

"We will not put more pressure on the Iraqi government than it can bear," Bush said.

The news conference was intended to serve as an update on Iraq based on Bush's briefings this week by U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalizad, the top U.S. envoy in Iraq; Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

It was Bush's second news conference in two weeks. On Oct. 11, he met with reporters in the Rose Garden after North Korea conducted a nuclear weapons test.

Worries about North Korea have been overtaken by anxiety about Iraq and a deadly spiral of violence. Top U.S. military and political leaders have tried to reassure Americans with a series of news conferences in Washington and Baghdad.

Prior to the Tuesday release of the new timeline for Iraq, U.S. officials had said they were satisfied with troop levels and had expected to make significant reductions by year's end. But a surge in sectarian killings, which welled up this past summer, forced them to reconsider.

Gen. George Casey said that additional U.S. troops could come from inside or outside Iraq to "improve basic services for the population of Baghdad."

"Now, do we need more troops to do that? Maybe. And, as I've said all along, if we do, I will ask for the troops I need, both coalition and Iraqis," Casey said.

There are currently 144,000 U.S. forces in Iraq.