Meanwhile in Washington, President Bush made his first public comments Wednesday since admitting he’s seeking to increase the size of the U.S. military.

President Bush: “I’m inclined to believe that we need an increase in the permanent size of both the U.S. Army and U.S. Marines. I’ve asked Secretary Gates to determine how such an increase could take place, and report back to me as quickly as possible.”

Several military commanders have warned the U.S. is overstretched in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Bush also repeated his dismissal of calls to negotiate with Iran.

President Bush: “I read the other day that the foreign minister said, ’We’ll sit down with America when they leave Iraq.’ No. If they want to sit down with us, for the good of the Iranian people, they ought to suspend their program. We made that clear to them.”