Press Conference Held by President Bush

At the closing of his first press conference during 2007, President Bush addressed the question of troop morale, the upcoming Presidential election, and bipartisan politics.

After speaking about Russia, IEDs, and Iran, President Bush was further questioned on a variety of topics.

Troop Morale

A growing number of troops are currently in Iraq serving on their 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th tours. It has been reported that more and more troops are beginning to question why exactly they are in Iraq and what they are doing there.

President Bush responded by saying the majority of Iraqi concerns are with the family members. He claims the troops are willing to be there and to go back and to serve, but the home front is where the questions arise. "That's why I constantly thank family members," the President stated.

He says he is hearing of this willingness from commanders that are in Iraq and questioned the certain people or person who have voiced their ponderings.

After being asked to confirm that he has heard this directly from the commanders, President Bush stated, "Sure, just like they told me we needed more troops."

Congressional Vote Opposing Iraq Plan

On the issue of Congress voting in disagreement with his new plan for Iraq, President Bush shared his understanding that Congress is going to express their opinion on the matter. He continued further by saying it is "interesting that there is a decision about a plan that they haven't given a chance to work."

President Bush then gave his three tiers of audiences, as he sees them:

1. The American public
2. The American troops
3. The rest of the world

"People are wondering about our commitment to this cause," he stated. He did not comment specifically as to whether a vote of disapproval would undermine his decision and leave the United States open to scrutiny, which was the question posed.

Presidential Election 2008

President Bush expressed his wish to keep the details of the upcoming election out of his press conferences. When asked whether he would offer a briefing on the status of Iraq to the candidates, he responded, "What really matters to the American people is to see progress."