President Bush has had strong words for members of Congress who oppose his new Iraq strategy, saying "I am the decision maker" on sending more troops.
The president said some lawmakers are condemning the plan before it has had a chance to work, and added that they have an obligation to come up with their own plan.
Mr. Bush spoke to reporters after meeting with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and top military commanders at the White House Friday. The president thanked the U.S. Senate for confirming Army Lieutenant General David Petraeus to become the new top U.S. commander in Iraq.
The vote in the Senate approving the nomination of General Petraeus was unanimous, at 81-0.
On Wednesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed a non-binding resolution declaring the deployment of additional troops to Iraq is not in the national interest. That resolution is to go to the full Senate for debate as early as next week.
Mr. Bush's new Iraq strategy includes sending an additional 21,500 troops into Iraq to bolster security.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
