September 11, 2007

3:00 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: I thank the leadership of the Congress for joining us here to discuss the testimonies¹ delivered by General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker. For some, this isn't the first moment they've been in the White House today, and I want to thank the leaders for joining Laura and me and the Vice² President and his wife, Lynne, as we commemorated³ the -- a day that really helped -- or it did define our nation, which is 9/11/2001. We also had a church service earlier, and I thank particularly the Speaker and the Leader for being there, as well.

Secondly⁴, all of us around this table are saddened by the loss of Congressman⁵ Paul Gillmor. Congressman Blunt has just come from his memorial service. All of us offer our prayers to the Gillmor family during this difficult time.

And finally, I've asked the leadership to come and share their thoughts about Iraq. As I mentioned, we've had a series of hearings where our commander on the ground and ambassador in Iraq have talked about a way forward. I think it's very important before I make up my mind that I consult with the leaders of the House and the Senate. I thank the members for coming and giving me their honest appraisal⁶ of whether they think we can find common ground or not and how they think we ought to proceed.

So thank you coming; appreciate you being here.

END 3:01 P.M. EDT