President Obama: This is the beginning of the end

I like the fact that the President mentioned 'nation building'. We must begin to focus on domestice issues right now. He stated in the beginning that he wold begin to draw down troops by July 2011. He is keeping this promise. Unfortunately, it does not matter what he says as it relates to the wars, it will not be enough for some people. Some are saying he did not give enough detail. Well, we know that at least 10,000 troops will be coming home next month. We know that 33,000 troops will be home in 2012. So as time moves on, he will give us more details. Slow down people and give him a chance

President Obama on Wednesday night informed the nation of his plans to withdraw 33,000 troops from Afghanistan by fall of next year, marking the beginning of the end of an increasingly unpopular war.

"The tide of war is receding," Mr. Obama said from the White House, promising that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will both come to a "responsible end."

Ten thousand troops will leave Afghanistan by the end of this year, the president announced, with another 23,000 leaving no later than September 2012. That would leave roughly 68,000 American troops in Afghanistan to continue the decade-long war.

Mr. Obama struck an optimistic note about the ongoing fight, saying "the light of a secure peace can be seen in the distance." But he also acknowledged the great costs of the war, economic and otherwise - a cost many say the U.S. can no longer afford to bear.

"America, it is time to focus on nation building here at home," he said.

The timetable for withdrawal is more aggressive than some military advisers had urged -- and two months before Mr. Obama will be up for re-election, he will be able to give voters evidence that he is committed to bringing troops home. Yet even if all 33,000 troops are withdrawn, there will still be roughly twice as many troops in Afghanistan as when Mr. Obama took office in January 2009.

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