President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden meet with advisors in the Oval Office, Aug. 29, 2013. Seated from left: Chief of Staff Denis McDonough; Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications; Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to the Vice President; Phil Gordon, White House Coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf Region; and National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)