Washington ? Outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld made a surprise trip to Iraq on Saturday, just days after a bipartisan commission called the situation there “grave and deteriorating” and said the administration’s policy wasn’t working.

“He’s there to express his appreciation to the troops and to thank both the troops and their families for the sacrifices they are making,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Todd Vician, a Defense Department spokesman.

It was Rumsfeld’s 15th trip to Iraq since the war began; he was last there in July.

Rumsfeld’s trip follows an emotional farewell Friday at the Pentagon, where the defense secretary defended his record on Iraq and Afghanistan.

He said Friday that the worst day of his nearly six years as secretary of defense occurred when he learned of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse.

Rumsfeld’s Pentagon appearance Friday and his trip to Iraq, where he was Saturday, were among the few public appearances he has made since President Bush announced on Nov. 8 that he was replacing the defense secretary. His last full day will be Dec. 17.

Rumsfeld’s farewell tour follows a grim picture of the Iraq war that was presented this week by a bipartisan commission headed by former Secretary of State James Baker and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton.

The Iraq Study Group said its prescription for change is needed quickly to turn around a “grave and deteriorating” situation.

The commission called for direct engagement with Iran and Syria as part of a new diplomatic initiative and a pullback of all American combat brigades by early 2008, barring unexpected developments, to shift the U.S. mission to training and advising.

The report took direct aim at Rumsfeld. Saying there has been a long tradition of partnership between the military and civilian leaders, the group said the “tradition has frayed” and must be repaired. It urged the new defense secretary, former CIA director Robert Gates, to “make every effort” to encourage military officers to offer independent advice.