At 10:45am this morning, the President watched live television coverage
of attempts in Baghdad to topple the statue of Saddam Hussein. At that time, he
also was briefed on the Iraqis climbing the statue, and the arrival of the US
vehicle. He watched it briefly from the outer office of the Oval. He had
previously been in an NSC meeting in the Situation Room and another meeting with
the Secretary of Defense, and had not yet seen any of the television coverage.
He then met with the Slovakian President. Following the meeting, at 11:20am, he
again briefly watched television coverage from the outer Oval. He saw the
statue was on the ground and he said, “They got it down.” He continued to watch
with interest for a few moments. His reaction was what was expressed at the
gaggle this morning: this remains a time of the utmost caution, and the power
of freedom.