Rep. Duncan Hunter: Obama Politically Squanders Military Gains

Al-Qaida's flag flying over Fallujah, Iraq, represents a "political squandering of military victories," says Rep. Duncan Hunter, a former Marine who served in Fallujah.

"After the big surge [in 2007], Fallujah was a relatively peaceful place," Hunter, R-Calif., said Tuesday on Fox News Channel's "The Kelly File."

"We won in Iraq," Hunter said.

The New York Times and The Washington Post published stories Tuesday with excerpts from former Defense Secretary Robert Gates' upcoming book, "Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War," sparking criticism from officials and pundits who opposed Obama's pullout of Iraq and plans for Afghanistan.

The United States should have left 10,000-20,000 troops behind, as it has in previous operations, Hunter said, but by failing to get an agreement with Iraq the Obama administration "abandoned it, and here's what we have."

Obama has abandoned not only Iraq but the whole Middle East, Hunter said.

"This is a juvenile foreign-policy president when it comes to hard-nosed foreign policy in the Middle East," he said, comparing the administration to "little children."

Former Rep. Allen West, R-Fl., also a military veteran, appeared on the show and said Obama's actions demonstrate the difference between a leader and a politician.