WASHINGTON — The White House on Thursday forcefully rejected criticism from former Vice President Dick Cheney and other Republicans that President Obama’s Afghanistan decision is taking too long.

Obama is nearing a decision on whether to significantly expand the U.S. war posture in Afghanistan by honoring a military request for thousands of additional forces. The decision had been expected as early as mid-August, when Obama’s new war commander prepared a harsh assessment of deteriorating conditions in the 8-year-old conflict, and now is expected in what Gibbs calls “the coming weeks.”

Cheney said in a speech Wednesday night that Obama needs to “do what it takes to win” and that “signals of indecision out of Washington hurt our allies and embolden our adversaries.”

Taking a similar tack yesterday, former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich criticized the administration during a speech in Fort Worth, suggesting Obama has projected confusion onto the Afghanistan conflict in his public statements.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., defended Obama when asked about Cheney’s criticism. “I think President Obama is entitled to take sufficient time to decide what our long-term role ought to be in Afghanistan,” he said on MSNBC. “I want him to take the time to get it right.”

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