May 2nd, 2012

Tim Pawlenty discusses Romney campaign’s Afghanistan strategy; U.S. defense spending

Mitt Romney Campaign Co-Chair Tim Pawlenty joins Starting Point with Soledad O’Brien to talk President Obama’s Afghanistan trip and agreement, defense spending and Newt Gingrich.

Pawlenty says, “… In terms of this agreement that was signed, Governor Romney feels it’s important to define the mission ahead in terms of strategic outcomes, not in terms of days or months on the calendar. And those strategic outcomes include making sure al Qaeda is defeated, making sure the insurgencies including, by the way, groups like the Taliban are incapable of reforming in a way that threatens Afghan security or the situation next door in Pakistan. And making sure that the Afghan security forces and police forces have enough capacity to be able to make sure that the country is at least reasonably stable and those goals, I think people agree with. But what we don’t like is the president putting these arbitrary deadlines rather than conditions on the ground governing America’s position in Afghanistan…. Well, Governor Romney has said 2014 may be an appropriate timetable, but let’s not announce it ahead of time for those who don’t have America’s interest at heart can plan around it. Don’t give them the blueprint in public with timelines attached to it.”

He continues, “Well, the president has the country on a trajectory to cut $1 trillion out of the defense budget over the next 10 years. Those would be untenable reductions in American security capability and our defense budget. So yes, we have severe concerns about the direction that President Obama is heading our defense budget and security capabilities and he should be called to account for that. There’s no question about that. Governor Romney has sharp differences with the president on that. Governor Romney has called for not only maintaining but increasing the defense budget, maintaining and increasing the number of ships within the Navy and down the list. That’s very different vision for America’s security and defense future than President Obama has. So that’s a legitimate and important issue.”

Starting Point with Soledad O’Brien airs weekday mornings from 7-9am ET.