President Bush is traveling Wednesday to a military installation in Florida that is providing the leadership for the war in Iraq. It's his first trip outside the Washington area since the start of the conflict a week ago.
The president is going to the Central Command headquarters in Tampa. Spokesman Ari Fleischer says he will speak out on the war effort and meet in private with military planners. "I think you will see a commander-in-chief who is sending a real signal of support for the men and women in the military, the pride that he has in the men and women in the military," he says.
Central Command is responsible for not just U.S. forces fighting in Iraq, but also those deployed in Afghanistan. Mr. Fleischer says, while at command headquarters, the president plans to meet with military officers from allied countries who are involved in these efforts.
Mr. Bush will not return directly to the White House from Florida. Instead, he will go to the Camp David presidential retreat to meet with his principal war ally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Their talks will conclude on Thursday.