UPDATE:Obama: Massive Leak Of War Documents Reveals Nothing New

(Updates with additional comments from Obama.) By Jared A. Favole Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--President Barack Obama on Tuesday said a massive leak of secret military information reveals nothing new about the struggles the U.S. faces in fighting terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan. "While I'm concerned about the disclosure of sensitive information from the battlefield that could potentially jeopardize individuals or operations, the fact is these documents don't reveal any issues that haven't already informed our public debate on Afghanistan," Obama said in his first public comments on the issue. WikiLeaks.org has published online tens of thousands of secret war logs from 2004 to 2009 that depict on-the-ground reporting by military personnel of civilian casualties and other struggles armed forces are facing on the battlefield. The leak of documents has raised questions about the viability of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan. Obama said the documents portray problems his administration already grappled with when launching a new strategy last year. "Indeed they point to the same challenges that led me to conduct an extensive review of our policy last fall," Obama said in the White House Rose Garden after meeting with bi-partisan Senate and House leaders. He added, "So let me underscore what I've said many time: For seven years we failed to implement a strategy adequate to the challenge in this region, a region from which the 9/11 attacks were waged...that's why we've substantially increased our commitment there." Obama has sent thousands of additional troops to Afghanistan. Obama's remarks came after he met with House and Senate leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.). He said he urged the lawmakers to pass legislation that would fund the war in Afghanistan. A vote on the legislation is expected in the House on Tuesday. Obama said he would continue to push for broad climate legislation. He said an energy bill in Congress on the response to the BP PLC (BP, BP.LN) oil spill is only the first step. Obama said he also used the meeting with the lawmakers to urge them to vote in favor of legislation that would help small businesses get credit and remain open. That legislation has been stalled in the Senate amid a lack of support. -By Jared A. Favole, Dow Jones Newswires; 202.862.9256; jared.favole@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 27, 2010 13:22 ET (17:22 GMT)