The White House has announced President Obama plans to defend his decision to escalate the Afghan war when he accepts the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo later this week. On Monday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama will address critics of his orders to deploy over 30,000 additional troops.

Robert Gibbs: “We’ll address directly the notion, I think that many have wondered, which is the juxtaposition of the timing for the Nobel Peace Prize and — and his commitment to add more troops around — into Afghanistan. That’s obviously something that he will address.”