Joe Biden attempted to separate himself from President Barack Obama’s foreign policy in Afghanistan.
Biden, who frequently touts his tenure as vice president, pushed back on the notion that he supported the 2009 decision to send 40,000 extra troops to the war-torn country.
“Since 2009 — go back and look — I was on the opposite side of that with the Pentagon,” Biden said. “The only reason I can speak to that is because it’s been published, it’s been published thoroughly. I’m the guy from the beginning who argued it was a big, big mistake to surge forces to Afghanistan. Period.”
“We should not have done it, and I argued against it constantly,” he added.
Despite that, when Biden ran against Obama for the Democratic nomination, he sent out a 2007 press release titled, “Biden Congratulates Sen. Obama for Johnny-Come-Lately Position.”
“Senator Biden has repeatedly called for surging more forces out of Iraq and into Afghanistan,” the release read.
After becoming Obama’s vice president and entering office, Biden did oppose efforts to surge troops to the region.
