Sen. Rubio blasts Obama on Afghanistan, Iraq policies

President Obama is putting politics first as he sets U.S. war policy in Afghanistan, a GOP lawmaker said Tuesday.

Obama’s plans to withdraw 20,000 American troops from Afghanistan by next fall — and all U.S. forces by 2014 — is mostly “about fulfilling a campaign promise,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said.

The freshman lawmaker — a rising star in the GOP — has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick for the eventual Republican White House nominee. Rubio has said he’s not interested in the No. 2 spot but would be hard-pressed to say no if asked.

Speaking Tuesday at a Foreign Policy Initiative conference, Rubio said Iraq and Afghanistan would become “prime breeding grounds for al Qeada” if they “fall back into chaos” after U.S. troops are gone. 

The president also has erred, Rubio said, by setting a course to remove most of the post-9/11 U.S. military footprint from the Middle East.

The United States should maintain some permanent bases in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan to carry out missions in the future, Rubio said.

Several of the Republican presidential contenders have blasted Obama for his decision to withdrawal all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of the year.

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