BAGHDAD (AP) – White House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. John Murtha, both vocal war critics, were in the Iraqi capital Friday at the head of a delegation of House members on a fact-finding mission as the White House and Congress dueled over the expansion of U.S. forces in Iraq.

The Pelosi delegation visited the heavily fortified Green Zone, site of the American Embassy, and met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif, delivers remarks during the 75th Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Wednesday, Jan 24, 2007, in Washington.

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"We come out of the meeting with a greater understanding of the others' point of view," Pelosi, D-Calif., said, in brief remarks after the meeting.

Pelosi has been a sharp critic of the Bush administration's conduct of the war and has led a drive in Congress against sending 21,500 more troops as part of a new security crackdown in Baghdad. In Washington on Friday, President Bush challenged skeptical lawmakers not to prematurely condemn his buildup, saying "I'm the decision-maker."

Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat and Vietnam veteran, has been a longtime critic of the war.