Transcript of Remarks by President George W. Bush
to the Press During a
Visit to CIA Headquarters

August 14, 2008

2:52 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: I want to thank the Director, Mike Hayden, and Steve Kappes for hosting me out here at the CIA. It's a chance to thank a lot of the folks who work out here for their service to the country.

It's really important for the people who work here to understand the significant -- the significance of the contributions they're making to secure the homeland. The people here work long and hard hours. They're smart, capable, and they deserve the nation's thanks.

We also had a couple of briefings, one on the war on terror and the other on the situation in Georgia. Got a lot of folks, smart folks analyzing the situation on the ground and, of course, briefing us on different possibilities that could develop in the area and the region.

I sent Condi Rice, Secretary of State Rice, over there. She'll be coming back to brief me on Saturday. I'm looking forward to hearing firsthand what she has seen, what she has heard. And I call for the territorial integrity of Georgia to be respected and the cease-fire agreement to be honored.

And we will be working this issue throughout the coming weeks, and people out here at the agency have been incredibly helpful. And I thank you very much for your hospitality. Thank you.

END 2:54 P.M.EDT