An enlightening comparison on Afghanistan policy

Nope, this is not directly related to Pioneer’s mission to promote great policies and big reforms in Massachusetts. But no matter what you think of the decision to send more troops to Afghanistan, it is worth highlighting two of the President’s speeches on the matter — one on March 27, 2009, when he announced “A New Strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan” and the speech this past Tuesday when, well, he announced a new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The March 27th speech can be seen here and the December 1 speech can be seen here.

Hint: He is very consistent. The only difference between the respective new strategies was the addition of troops with an 18-month window for withdrawal.