Trump’s Afghanistan speech sounded incredibly familiar
Aug 22, 2017, 5:33 AM | Updated: 9:21 am
Like President Obama, President Trump made campaign promises to get us out of Afghanistan.
“My original instinct was to pull out.” — Trump
“I opposed the war in Iraq precisely because I believed that we must exercise restraint in the use of military force.” — Obama
But the generals got them both to change their minds.
And so standing before a military audience at a base near Washington, President Trump announced what sounded like a familiar policy in Afghanistan. More soldiers, more money, and the expectation of results.
“Our commitment is not unlimited and our support is not a blank check,” Trump said.
That’s similar to what a military audience at West Point heard eight years ago from President Obama.
“The days of providing a blank check are over.”
But this troop surge is being described very differently. For Obama, it was 30,000 troops who would be on a deadline.
“After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home,” Obama explained.
But for Trump, no numbers, no deadlines, and a free hand for the generals.
“We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities,” Trump said.
Both men had similar goals.
“We will pursue a military strategy that will break the Taliban’s momentum.” — Obama
“We will break their will, dry up their equipment.” — Trump
But Trump used a word that Obama did not.
“Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win.”
We are about to see if presidential word choice makes a difference.
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