    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [December 6, 2006]
    [Pages 2150-2151]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Meeting With the Iraq Study Group
    December 6, 2006

        I just received the Iraq Study Group report, prepared by a
    distinguished panel of our fellow citizens. I want to thank James
    Baker and Lee Hamilton and the panel members for spending a lot of time on this
    really difficult issue. And I thank you for coming into the White House
    today to give me a copy of this report.
        I've told the members that this report, called ``The Way Forward,''
    will be taken very seriously by this administration. This report gives a
    very tough assessment of the situation in Iraq. It is a report that
    brings some really very interesting proposals, and we will take every
    proposal seriously, and we will act in a timely fashion.
        The commission is headed up to Congress, and I urge the Members of
    Congress to take this report seriously. While they won't agree with
    every proposal--and we probably won't agree with every proposal--it,
    nevertheless, is an opportunity to come together and to work together on
    this important issue.
        The country, in my judgment, is tired of pure political bickering
    that happens in Washington, and they understand that on this important
    issue of war and peace, it is best for our country to work together. And
    I understand how difficult that is, but this report will give us all an
    opportunity to find common ground, for the good of the country, not for
    the good of the Republican Party or the Democrat Party, but for the good
    of the country.
        We can achieve long-lasting peace for this country, and it requires
    tough work. It also requires a strategy that will be effective. And
    we've got men and women of both political parties around this table who
    spent a lot of time thinking about the way forward in Iraq and the way
    forward in the Middle East, and I can't thank them enough for your time.
    You could be doing a lot of other things. You could have had

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    a lot more simple life than to allow your Government to call you back
    into service, but you did allow us to call you back into service, and
    you've made a vital contribution to the country. Our fellow citizens
    have got to know that it is possible for people of good will to come
    together to help make recommendations on how to deal with a very serious
    situation.
        And we applaud your work. I will take it very seriously, and we'll
    act on it in a timely fashion. Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 7:58 a.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to James A. Baker III and Lee H.
    Hamilton, cochairs, Iraq Study Group. The Office of the Press Secretary
    also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.