White House: Withdrawal Not an Option

The White House may be vigorously debating its options in Afghanistan, but one choice appears to be off the table. “I don’t think we have the option to leave,” Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday. “That’s quite clear.” On Tuesday, President Obama confers with a bipartisan group of congressional leaders at the White House about the war. “They’re an important part of this and the president wants to hear from them,” Gibbs said. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Robert Gates held back on his opinion on the Afghanistan strategy, saying only that "once the commander in chief makes his decisions, we will salute and execute those decisions faithfully and to the best of our ability."