Defense Secretary Robert Gates has announced he supports stalling a limited withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq set for this summer. Gates made the statement during a surprise visit to Iraq on Monday.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates: “I think that the notion of a brief period of consolidation and evaluation probably does make sense.”

Reporter: “How brief would that be?”

Robert Gates: “Well, that’s one of the things that we’re still thinking about.”

The Bush administration had previously touted the summer withdrawals as a key sign of progress in Iraq.