President Bush admitted on Monday the Iraq war is “straining the psyche of our country.” But he vowed to stay the course.

• President Bush: Leaving before the job would be done would send a message that America really is no longer engaged, nor cares about the form of governments in the Middle East. Leaving before the job was done would send a signal to our troops that the sacrifices they made were not worth it. Leaving before the job is done would be a disaster, and that’s what we’re saying.

Monday’s press conference was President Bush’s first since it was revealed that a record 3,500 people had died in Iraq last month.