Q Thank you, sir. Will Saddam's capture accelerate the timetable for pulling U.S. troops out, and increase the likelihood of getting more foreign troops involved?
THE PRESIDENT: We will stay the course until the job is done, Steve. And the temptation is to try to get the President or somebody to put a timetable on the definition of getting the job done. We're just going to stay the course. And it's very important for the Iraqi people to know that. I've expressed that to Rend; I've told that to the Iraqi citizens with whom I have met on a regular basis.
I tell them two things: one, you can count on America remaining until the job is done. And it's important for them to hear that, because there will probably be some that will continue to test our will. They'll try to kill in hopes that we will flee. And the citizens of Iraq need to know we will stay the course.
I also tell them that now is a chance to seize the opportunity and show the world that which this government believes, and that is, you're plenty capable of governing yourself. And the level of the troops in Iraq will depend upon the security situation on the ground and those decisions will be made by our commanders. I have not changed my philosophy of how a President ought to act during wartime, which is to set the strategy, lay out the goals and empower the military people -- both civilian and uniform -- to make the decisions necessary to achieve the objective. And they will make those recommendations about troop levels and what is necessary.
The transition from dictatorship to democracy will take time, but it is worth every effort. Our coalition will stay until our work is done. Then we will leave, and we will leave behind a free Iraq.