At West Point on December 1, 2009, President Barack Obama “announced he was sending 30,000 more U.S. troops [to Afghanistan]. ‘I make this decision because I am convinced that our security is at stake,’ Obama said. ‘In the last few months alone, we have apprehended extremists within our borders who were sent here from the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan to commit new acts of terror. And this danger will only grow if the region slides backwards, and al Qaeda can operate with impunity.’ The plan was for Afghanistan to eventually stand on its own two feet, so the U.S. could ‘begin the transfer of our forces out of Afghanistan in July of 2011,’ he said. Without irony, Obama held up what was happening in Iraq as a model. ‘Just as we have done in Iraq, we will execute this transition responsibly, taking into account conditions on the ground.’ There was no talk of victory or winning.”
– Bob Woodward, Obama’s Wars, Pages 334-335