WASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush apologized Thursday for the abuse and humiliation of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers.

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Bush said the scenes of mistreatment had made Americans "sick to our stomachs."

A day after he stopped short of apologizing on Arab TV, Bush told Jordan's King Abdullah that he was "sorry for the humiliation suffered by the Iraqi prisoners and the humiliation suffered by their families."

In a joint Rose Garden news conference, Bush said he told Abdullah he was "equally sorry that people seeing those pictures didn't understand the true nature and heart of America."

The apology came amid a Democratic senator call for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation over the U.S. military's abuse of some Iraqi prisoners.

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, demanded Rumsfeld's ouster "for the good of our country, the safety of our troops, and our image around the globe."

The top House Democrat indicated she, too, wanted Rumsfeld out. Asked if she thought Rumsfeld should quit, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., replied, "Yes, I do." She did not immediately elaborate.

In the news conference, Bush said he has no plans to seek Rumsfeld's resignation or fire him.

"Secretary Rumsfeld is a very good secretary of defense," Bush said. "He is an important part of my cabinet, and he'll stay in my cabinet."

White House spokesman Scott McClellan declined to characterize Bush's comments to Rumsfeld in a private conversation between the two men on Wednesday, though another Bush aide said the president had given his Cabinet officer a "mild rebuke."

Bush briefly addressed the conversation during the news conference.

"I told him I should have known about the pictures," Bush said, adding that the images "made me sick to my stomach."

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee said "heads need to roll," calling for the removal of both Rumsfeld and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz.

The Iowa senator's demand comes at the same time as an editorial in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that called for Rumsfeld to resign.

The editorial cites what it describes as "the botched handling" of the Iraqi prisoner abuse investigation and Rumsfeld's overall decisions about the Iraq war.

The editorial comes amid the release of more photos allegedly showing prisoner abuse.

But whether or not his job is in danger, Rumsfeld is in some trouble over the prisoner abuse scandal. White House aides say President George W. Bush rebuked Rumsfeld for failing to tell him about it.

Meanwhile, Republican Sen. John McCain said he doesn't want to tell Bush want to do. McCain said Rumsfeld has a lot of explaining to do, including why Congress was never told about the allegations.

Rumsfeld has been summoned by lawmakers to testify on Capitol Hill Friday.

New Images Emerge Of Prisoner Abuse In Iraq

The Washington Post reports it has obtained new images of prisoner abuse in Iraq.

The Post says it has received digital photographs of naked men who are apparently prisoners sprawled on top of each other with soldiers standing around them. One photo shows a naked man with a hood over his head handcuffed to a cell door. Another shows a naked man handcuffed to a bunk bed, with a pair of women's underwear covering his head and face.

Thursday's report follows a new effort by Bush at damage control. In interviews with Arab television networks Wednesday, Bush acknowledged mistakes in the handling of prisoners but stopped short of an apology. The president is said to be upset that he's only now finding out about it and promises "justice will be delivered."

Red Cross: We Demanded Action On Abuse Before New Allegations

The international Red Cross said it knew what was going on.

The agency says it had repeatedly asked U.S. authorities to take action over alleged prisoner abuse by U.S. soldiers at a prison near the Iraqi capital before the most recent allegations surfaced.

The Red Cross had previously refused to comment on conditions at the prison. A spokeswoman says "We were aware of what was going on." She says agency officials had been visiting the prison since last year and had talked to prisoners in private.

She says Red Cross officials asked U.S. authorities to take "corrective action." The Red Cross usually discusses its observations only with the detaining authorities. But it's been under pressure to say if it had specifically warned the United States about alleged prisoner abuse before the recent allegations came to light.

Lawmakers: No Evidence Intel Community Prompted Abuses

The Army and the CIA are continuing their investigation into the abuse of Iraqi prisoners.

The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee says so far there is no evidence that intelligence personnel directed the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. Sen. Pat Roberts says what he's learned indicates there was a "failure of judgement, a failure of discipline and a failure of leadership."

There is widespread unhappiness on Capitol Hill with the Pentagon, not only because the abuses occurred but because the Pentagon didn't come forward on its own to tell about them.

Rumsfeld is scheduled to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee Friday.

Senate leaders meanwhile are discussing a Senate resolution to condemn the abuses.