Bush: Nations United on Crisis

President Bush said today that world leaders were "working together" to provide an organized strategy for coping with the crisis.

"We want to make sure we're coordinated in our response," Bush said during a bill-signing ceremony at the White House. "All our nations are carrying out a comprehensive plan of action to help unfreeze credit markets and restore confidence in our financial systems."

Bush made the remarks while signing into law an extension of trade preferences for Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. He called on Congress to approve several other free-trade agreements that have languished on Capitol Hill, arguing that the pacts would further bolster the sagging U.S. economy.

"In the long run, one of the best ways to restore confidence in the global economy is by keeping markets open to trade and investment," Bush said.

-- Dan Eggen