"Our objective is to help the Iraqi government deal with the extremists and the killers and [to] support the vast majority of Iraqis who are reasonable, who want peace," Bush said.
"We want to help your government be effective," he said. "We want your government to live up to its words and ideals."
Bush met for 25 minutes with Hashemi, who has been linked to a behind-the-scenes effort to form a new ruling bloc that could topple the fragile Iraqi government led by Nouri al-Maliki.
The White House would not say whether Bush and Hashemi talked about the movement afoot to form a new ruling coalition that would exclude anti-American Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and radical Sunni Arabs.
Bush has called Maliki the "right guy" for Iraq, but Maliki is dependent on Sadr for political support.
White House press secretary Tony Snow said the president had expected to make a speech before Christmas to announce his new strategy for Iraq, but still had questions and was not yet ready to make all the decisions he needs to make.
"The president generally knows what direction he wants to move in, but there are very practical things that need to be dealt with," Snow said. "This is not a sign of trouble. This is a sign of determination on the part of the president."
Democrats didn't see it that way.
"It has been six weeks since the American people demanded change in Iraq," said Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, who will become majority leader. "In that time, Iraq has descended further toward all-out civil war, and all the president has done is fire Donald Rumsfeld and conduct a listening tour."
"Talking to the same people he should have talked to four years ago does not relieve the president of the need to demonstrate leadership and change his policy now," said Reid .
Bush began his day by having breakfast with his new defense secretary, Robert M. Gates, who plans to travel to the region to talk with military commanders shortly after he is sworn in Monday.
Gates also joined Bush in a secure video conference with Rumsfeld; the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace; and General John Abizaid, the top US commander in the Middle East. Participating from Iraq was General George Casey, the chief US commander in Iraq.
