De Republikeinse presidentiële kandidaten reageerde afgelopen week op toespraak die president Obama gaf over de oorlog in Afghanistan en het terug trekken van de troepen uit dat land.

De voormalige gouverneur van Utah, Jon Huntsman zei het volgende: “With America mired in three expensive conflicts, we have a generational opportunity to reset our position in the world in a way that makes sense for our security as well as our budget. The war in Afghanistan is an asymmetrical war, and our approach ought to adjust accordingly. Our troops have done everything we’ve asked them to. They’ve routed the Taliban, dismantled Al Qaeda, and facilitated democratic elections. Now it is time we move to a focused counter–terror effort which requires significantly fewer boots on the ground than the President discussed tonight. We need a safe but rapid withdrawal which encourages Afghans to assume responsibility, while leaving in place a strong counter intelligence and special forces effort proportionate to the threat. The War on Terror is being fought against a global enemy, and it is critical that we have the resources to fight them wherever they’re found.”

De voormalige gouverneur van Massachusetts, Mitt Romney zei: “We all want our troops to come home as soon as possible, but we shouldn’t adhere to an arbitrary timetable on the withdrawal of our troops from Afghanistan. This decision should not be based on politics or economics. America’s brave men and women in uniform have fought to achieve significant progress in Afghanistan, some having paid the ultimate price. I look forward to hearing the testimony of our military commanders in the days ahead.”

“President Obama’s statement tonight is a stark reminder that while one might campaign in poetry, one must govern in prose. While all Americans hope and pray for a speedy, victorious resolution to the war in Afghanistan that prevents the continued loss of our national treasures – our men and women in uniform – and our national treasury, how we define an honorable exit remains to be seen. The President suggested that we cannot become isolationist or engage in every international conflict, but instead, we must charter a “middle course.” How does he define this? It seems to be yet another foggy foreign policy coming from this administration”, aldus zakenman Herman Cain.

Lees hier wat de voormalige senator van Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum en de voormalige gouverneur van Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty, zeiden over de toespraak van president Obama.