President Joe Biden announced troop withdrawals from Afghanistan Wednesday after speaking with former Presidents George Bush and Barack Obama.
“I spoke yesterday with President Bush to inform him of my decision,” Biden said of his plan, following former President Trump’s design to withdraw troops from a country the United States has occupied for 20 years. He said of Bush:
While he and I have had many disagreements over policy throughout the years, we’re absolutely united in our respect and support for the valor. The courage and integrity of the women and men in the United States Armed Forces who served, and immensely grateful for the bravery and backbone they have shown through nearly two decades of combat deployments.
But “We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan hoping to create the ideal conditions for our withdrawal, expecting a different result,” Biden continued.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted Biden had also spoken with Obama, contacting two of the three presidents throughout the last 20 years who had managed the “never ending war.” Psaki said:
@potus spoke with both President Bush and @BarackObama during separate calls yesterday. While we are not going to read out private conversations, he values their opinions and wanted them both to hear directly from him about his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), who is the daughter of Bush’s vice president, Dick Cheney, opposes the withdrawal as a “huge propaganda victory” for regional militants in and around Afghanistan.
Cheney said, “We know what happens if terrorists establish safe havens, we must ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
Breitbart News reported Tuesday the Biden administration would withdraw the “remaining American troops from Afghanistan by this September 11 — the 20th anniversary of the war.”