And finally, back at the White House, President Bush reverted to a presidential press conference tradition he has long ignored — giving the first question to veteran correspondent Helen Thomas.

Helen Thomas: “Mr. President, you started this war, a war of your choosing, and you can end it alone, today, at this point — bring in peacekeepers, U.N. peacekeepers. Two million Iraqis have fled their country as refugees. Two million more are displaced. Thousands and thousands are dead. Don’t you understand, you brought the al-Qaeda into Iraq?”

President Bush: “Actually, I was hoping to solve the Iraqi issue diplomatically. That’s why I went to the United Nations and worked with the United Nations Security Council, which unanimously passed a resolution that said disclose, disarm or face serious consequences. That was the message, the clear message to Saddam Hussein. He chose the course.”

Thomas: “Didn’t we go into Iraq” —

Bush: “It was his decision to make.”