Rice: Obama 'absolutely not' playing politics with Afghanistan

U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice said Sunday that President Barack Obama is "absolutely not" taking politics into account in his decisions on Afghanistan strategy as he comes under pressure from the left on a troop surge.

Rice said on "Meet the Press" that "the president has to make a judgment based not only on military assesments" but on reports from diplomats and ambassadors in the region.

"The president, as commander in chief, has to look at more than what's happening in a single theater," Rice said, adding that a decision on Afghanistan -- for which Gen. Stanley McChrystal has requested 40,000 additional troops -- will come after taking stock of various factors.

Rice said that the administration was already "fully resourcing" the war, with the last troop increase still winding down and an increased civilian deployment.

When pressed by host David Gregory about whether Obama was committed to staying in Afghanistan until the country is stable, Rice responded, "We'll commit to staying in Afghanistan as long as it takes to keep America safe."