President Barack Obama spoke with NBC’s Chuck Todd Sunday morning, where he confessed that he recognized it had been a mistake for him to go golfing immediately after speaking out on the beheading of American journalist James Foley.

Obama also revealed plans to form a strategy with Congress to defeat the group that has killed thousands of innocent people.

Obama started off by defending his right to vacation, saying, “it’s always a challenge when you’re supposed to be on vacation, because you’re followed everywhere…. Because the possibility of a jarring contrast given the world’s news — There’s always going to be some tough news somewhere.”

The president’s tone then rapidly turned serious, “There’s no doubt that — after having talked to the families, where it was hard for me to hold back tears listening to the pain that they were going through, after the statement that I made, that I should’ve anticipated the optics” of golfing after speaking about the loss of James Foley. “You know, that’s part of the job.”

He added, “Part of this job is the theater of it…. It’s not something that always comes naturally to me. But it matters.”

Obama’s actions have been compared to those of George W. Bush, who denounced a suicide bombing while he was vacationing on the golf course. He had immediately followed up his discourse with, “now watch my drive.” President Bush did not play golf for the rest of his presidency after he saw the way that image looked to the public eye. Now, Obama seems to be on the same track.

This Sunday was the first in many ways: It was Obama’s first extended television interview since he got back from vacation, it was Chuck Todd’s first time as moderator of “Meet the Press.”

Obama will give a speech Sept. 10 detailing the plans and hopes of retaliation against ISIL. He said the speech will reveal “the nature of the threat and how we’re going to deal with it.”