Delay on decision on Afghanistan is not a "matter of some datum of information I'm waiting on."

At a press availability with Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama, President Obama told reporters that his decision on how to proceed with his strategy in Afghanistan would be "fully transparent" and announced soon. The President also rejected that notion that the delay on his decision on how to proceed with the situation in that country was related to him not having all the information needed. 

Read his answer below:

"I don’t think this is a matter of some datum of information I’m waiting on. It is a matter of making certain that when I send the young men and women into war and I devote billions of dollars of U.S. taxpayer money, that it’s making us safer.

"And that the strategies that are in place not just on the military side but also on the civilians’ side are coordinated and effective. And our primary goal, which is to make sure that the United States is not subject to attack and its allies are not subject to attack by terrorist networks and that there’s stability in the region that helps to facilitate that larger goal and I recognize that there’s been critics of the process. They tend not to be folks who I think are directly involved in what’s happening in Afghanistan. Those who are recognize the gravity of the situation and recognize the importance of getting this right and the decision will be made soon. It will be one that is fully transparent so that the American people understand exactly what we’re doing and why we’re doing it and what it will entail.

"It will also send a clear message that our goal here, ultimately has to be for the Afghan people to be able to be in a position to provide their own security and that the United States cannot be engage in an open-ended commitment.

"So, I am very pleased with how the process is proceeding and those who participated I think would acknowledge that is has been not an exercise but a necessary process in order to make sure that we’re making the best possible decisions."