those diplomats to erbil because it was much safer. now, of course, the militants are closing in. >> mary, the president even before stepping into the white house was all about ending the war in iraq. is he backtracking on that now? >> reporter: the president made a point, actually, of repeating that promise tonight. he pledged that the u.s. will not get dragged into another long conflict in iraq. but he also made a point of saying that the u.s. can't turn a blind eye to these situations, especially when it's able to intervene to prevent some of the horrific violence. but i suspect there will be a lot of questions in the coming days about this administration's policies. >> mary, you've been at the bhous all day, as this is all unfolding. there was a bit of a scare yesterday, a lockdown at the white house involving a toddler? >> reporter: this was definitely a first. a toddler managed to squeeze through the front gate at the white house, sending security running. armed guards coming to the rescue, shutting down the white house. now, the secret service did release a statement. and i absolutely love this. they said we were going to wait until he learned to talk to question him. but in lieu of that, he got a