Obama says US won’t ‘miss a beat’ in Afghanistan despite change in command

Obama: US won’t ‘miss a beat’ in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says the U.S. will “not miss a beat” in the Afghan war effort because of the change in command.

Obama spoke at a news conference with the president of Russia on Thursday, a day after accepting Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s resignation and replacing him with Gen. David Petraeus.

Obama said in response to a question that Petraeus “understands the strategy because he helped shape it.”

Obama also said the July 2011 date to begin withdrawing U.S. troops doesn’t mean the U.S. will be “switching off the lights and closing the door behind us” at that time.