ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates acknowledged Thursday that the Bush administration underestimated the difficulty of getting a political truce in Iraq, where Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's government has been crippled by a walkout by Sunni Arab ministers.
Gates said he was optimistic about military progress in several Iraqi regions, particularly Al Anbar, a western province that was once a haven for insurgents.
But he said he was discouraged by the Shiite-dominated government's inability to reach a compromise to pass legislation aimed at reconciling the country's ethnic and sectarian groups. Reaching such political agreements, a central goal of the troop buildup strategy, may still be a long way off, he said.
"I just think in some ways we probably all underestimated the depth of the mistrust and how difficult it would be for these guys to come together," Gates said.
The Pentagon chief's remarks Thursday were his closest yet to acknowledging that the Bush administration's top political goals for Iraq may not materialize during the buildup, even if it is extended into next spring, the latest the military could sustain the increase. He also is the top Bush administration official to express such concerns publicly.
The Defense secretary was speaking to reporters aboard his plane as he headed back to Washington after a three-day, four-country visit to urge Sunni Arab allies in the region to do more to support the Maliki government.
Until now, Gates has been circumspect in his assessment of the "surge" strategy launched in February, and has been careful not to wade into the political fight between the White House and Capitol Hill over its duration.
Although Gates did say in testimony on Capitol Hill that he would like to see the "surge" end by December, a senior Defense official familiar with his thinking said those views had "been overtaken by events." Gates, the official said, is waiting for an evaluation due next month from Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, to decide how long to continue the security plan.
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Political yardsticks
The Bush administration's benchmarks for progress include passing laws to divide the nation's oil wealth, set dates for provincial elections and allow former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, predominantly Sunni Arabs, to obtain government jobs and pensions.
