The White House on Tuesday defended Vice President Joe Biden after former Defense Secretary Bob Gates criticized Biden’s views on foreign policy.
“The President disagrees with Secretary Gates’ assessment – from his leadership on the Balkans in the Senate, to his efforts to end the war in Iraq, Joe Biden has been one of the leading statesmen of his time, and has helped advance America’s leadership in the world. President Obama relies on his good counsel every day,” National Security Council Spokesperson Caitlin Hayden said in a statement.
In his new book, Gates writes that the Vice President “has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.”
Hayden said that Obama is grateful for Gates’ counsel as Defense Secretary, but that he welcomes a wide range of opinions form his cabinet.
“The President deeply appreciates Bob Gates’ service as Secretary of Defense, and his lifetime of service to our country,” Hayden said in the statement. “As has always been the case, the President welcomes differences of view among his national security team, which broaden his options and enhance our policies. The President wishes Secretary Gates well as he recovers from his recent injury, and discusses his book.”
