Congressman John Murtha yesterday said he welcomed the announcement that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was stepping down, but the Johnstown Democrat said that must be accompanied by change in White House policy toward the war in Iraq.

Mr. Murtha, who won re-election Tuesday, was responding to President Bush's announcement that he will nominate former CIA chief Robert Gates to replace Mr. Rumsfled. He said in a statement yesterday that "the military lost confidence in Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Our troops and their families who have personally endured the burden of this war for so long deserve an achievable plan, and one that is based on redeploying U.S. military forces from Iraq. It was absolutely necessary to bring in a fresh face and I think Bob Gates will actually listen to the military.

"But, at the press conference [Wednesday], I was disappointed to hear the same old rhetoric coming from the president. He did not speak about a change of policy in Iraq. Changing the secretary does not change the policy, and the policy is set by the White House. We need a change in Iraq that is based on redeployment because that is what is best for America."

Without specifying a date, Mr. Murtha said in a phone interview with The Associated Press Wednesday that he is continuing to push to bring most troops home as soon as possible. He also supports leaving some troops on the periphery of Iraq to go in as needed.

"The first thing we have to do is establish some truth about this whole thing. Second, we have to hold people accountable," Mr. Murtha said. "It's not a disaster for us to leave Iraq, it's a disaster for us to not have a policy."

Mr. Murtha is running against current minority whip Rep. Steny Hoyer for the position of majority leader. He won a 17th term Tuesday by beating Diana Irey, a Washington County commissioner, with 61 percent of the vote, according to unofficial returns.