In a speech tonight, former Vice President Dick Cheney will say he and President Bush gave the Obama administration a policy review outlining a strategy for the war in Afghanistan, countering Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s claims that they’re “starting from scratch” on Afghanistan.
“They asked us not to announce our findings publicly, and we agreed, giving them the benefit of our work and the benefit of the doubt,” Cheney says, according to prepared remarks released by Fox News. “The new strategy they embraced in March, with a focus on counterinsurgency and an increase in the numbers of troops, bears a striking resemblance to the strategy we passed to them.”
Cheney says they gave President Obama the policy review in fall of 2008.
In March, President Obama announced a strategy for Afghanistan that involved sending 4,000 more troops. But, as of late, he’s been re-evaluating the strategy.
“Having announced this decision last March, President Obama now seems afraid to make a decision,” Cheney says. “The White House must stop its dithering, while America’s armed forces are in danger.”
In tonight’s speech to the Center for Security Policy, Cheney will also attack Obama’s decision on the Eastern European missile defense shield.
