Bush told reporters that there is always a danger of domestic politics getting in the way of politicians making the best decisions and warned that Iraq policy should not be made in the halls of Congress “based upon polls and politics.”

“Listen carefully to what is taking place,” Bush said when asked what advice he would give the Democratic presidential candidate ahead of his trip, adding that “the best way to go forward is to listen to the parties who are actually on the ground.”

The president acknowledged that this is “hard to do for some in Washington,” noting that there are many outside pressures here.

Bush specifically named MoveOn.org, a liberal group that is pushing for withdrawal from Iraq.

“You got these groups out there, MoveOn.org, you know, banging away on these candidates,” the president said. “And it’s hard to kind of divorce yourself from the politics.”

Bush told reporters that he is glad that elected officials are visiting Iraq “because they'll get an interesting insight, something that you don’t get from just reading your wonderful newspapers or listening to your TV shows.”