U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says she thinks the insurgents in Iraq are "losing steam" (energy) as a political force.

In an interview with Time magazine published Sunday, Ms. Rice said she believes the insurgents have become more and more isolated from Iraq's people as the country's political process moves forward.

Ms. Rice also argued that the media focus too much on violence in Iraq and not enough on what she called Iraq's "rather quiet political progress."