President George W. Bush will consult on Saturday with top US generals on the situation in Iraq, but the talks are not in response to a surge in violence there, the White House said on Friday.
Bush's spokesman, Tony Snow, said the talks were "part of a regular consultation process."
The US leader will hold a teleconference with General George Casey, the top US commander in Iraq, General John Abizaid, the commander of US forces in the Middle East, and others, Snow said.
"This has been on the schedule for weeks," he said, insisting that it was "not in response" to the spike in violence.
October is becoming one of the deadliest months for the US military since the US-led invasion in March 2003 and the surge in violence has put pressure on Bush to change course in the conflict.
Snow said the United States was constantly adjusting to the situation on the ground in Iraq and that Bush was "always open to ideas and suggestions."
"The president understands the difficulty in a time of war, and he also understands that what you do is you adjust tactically," he said.
Bush's Republicans fear that the unpopular war will cost them their majority in Congress in the November 7 elections against opposition Democrats.