From Bush's meeting with nine "conservative journalists" (i.e., head-nodders, cheerleaders, and so forth), as recounted by Rich Lowry of National Review:

He remains resolute: The Iraq war must, and can, be won. ... Bush is adamant that he is going to see the troop surge through September and then rely on the advice of Gen. David Petraeus on how to proceed. ... Bush gives the impression that he is more steadfast on the war than many in his own administration and that, if need be, he’ll be the last hawk standing.

But when he says that he’s not going to abandon the surge, “it’s just very important for you all to understand that’s exactly what I mean.”

He curtly rejects the suggestion that he will be forced by troop constraints to pull back the surge come next spring, no matter what. “I’m sure that in the bowels of the Pentagon, people are looking at troop rotations and troop movements,” he says. “That is not the primary objective of our commander on the ground — next question.”