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After months of careful deliberation, President Obama laid out his plans for Afghanistan in a speech at West Point Tuesday night. See the best photos from the evening and vote for your favorite:

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Comments

[Mildred Dejean]

GREAT SPEECH ONCE AGIAN MR OBAMA IS DOING THE RIGHT THING HE IS THE BEST BURSH SUCKED WHEN HE WAS THE PRESIDENT HE DIDNT GAVE A CRA P ABOUT THE STATES HE WAS WORRYING ABOUT RETREMENT AND DIDNT GIVE A DAME ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO VOTED FOR HIM AM GLAD I DIDNT VOTE FOR THAT MEN.

[BOin08]

Obama's inherited war...push­ing it up rather than drawing it down....mo­re like Nixon, less like Kennedy everyday

[EWeiss]

Kennedy increased the number of troops in Vietnam by a factor of around 20. Nixon, on the other hand, increased bombing runs rather than troop numbers.

Just saying. You've got your historical antecedents exactly backwards.

[EWeiss]

Kennedy increased the number of troops in Vietnam by a factor of around 20. Nixon, on the other hand, increased the use of aerial bombardment rather than troop numbers.

Just saying. You've got your historical antecedents exactly backwards.

[BeatenValue]

I heard Obama say the word "I" 36 times last night, but never the word "Win" or "Victory"...

[gespecht]

Even Obama knows we can't Win. He went to college, you know. He Smart.

[EWeiss]

He said "success" instead of "victory". Enough with the talking points. You guys don't realize that we've heard them all before.

[gespecht]

We should be happy. This War in Afghanistan is now a Bipartisan Effort. Probably the only thing in our lives that the two a$$hole partys have agreed on.

[gespecht]

WestPoint is the perfect setting for the Black George Bush to give his new War Plan.

[moleif]

First, the folks on the Right attack him for being too weak. Now the Lefties attack him for being too forceful. He just can't catch a break.

[LarksTongue]

I watched the speech on C-SPAN. The cable news talking heads cut away too soon and missed the rock star treatment our future Generals gave this President AFTER the speech. They literally mobbed him with hand shakes, smiles and picture taking. What a powerful image to show the world: a young, smart military united behind a leader they respect.

These cadets are the Best of the best. After eight years of Bush treating them like children with his sing-songy shuck-n-jive 'we're fightin' Evil' crap, it is obvious that they appreciated some straight talk for a change.

[thetruthmustbetold]

Eloquently written speech. Covered both left and right talking points.
Unfortunately, from a military viewpoint, this is one of the most disasters speeches ever given by an American President. Momma Pelosi should give the child king a royal beating.

[jcolumbus]

I think you need a royal beating from momma!

[VirginiaJeff]

What the heck? Try clarifying your word salad please.

[SoCalWolfGal]

Must be a Palinbot!

[MOCONSERVATIVE]

shouldn't these pictures be classified, since they were taken in the enemy camp?

[VirginiaJeff]

Chris Matthews is his own worst enemy.

[TheFabOne]

Gee, the woman in the first picture looks like her face already fought the war.........and lost.

[MOCONSERVATIVE]

thats a very nice comment, fabone

[proc]

The cadet with Obama's arm around, I wonder if she will be one he sends to her death with many others because of his lack of ability to be a true leader.

[24hourrifle]

proc...unless youre willing to make the same claim about gw bush,then youre a hypocrite,right?

[proc]

Bush didn't cut and run

[24hourrifle]

if youre against the war,fine...i know i am.
but if its just typical cons. nonsensical buffoonery,playing politics with our troops,then fu** off,youre a hypocrite

[VirginiaJeff]

Flagged

[24hourrifle]

wow...really?...

i didnt threaten,and i censored myself...

i suppose you have a right to be offneded by anything you like,but if thats the standard,i oughtta begin flagging a lot more people.

[Idablu]

He is just cleaning up W's mess. It is a really complicated issue that isn't going to be solved without sacrifice. I do not take it lightly, my neice is at West Point, but I support him 110%.

[VirginiaJeff]

My beloved nephew's been called up, and I am frightened for what he will face.

But I agree with you completely.

[Idablu]

God bless him and all of them.

[lemondade]

FOR ONCE, SOLDIERS ACTUALLY SMILING REAL SMILES WITH A PRESIDENT.

LOOKS LIKE THEY CAN TELL A GOOD PRESIDENT/HUMAN BEING WHEN THEY MEET ONE.

GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU. AMEN.

[dlbernau]

That is my son on the left in this picture.

When he told us in 2001 he wanted to attend West Point, his mother and I were relatively unconcerned. After all, we will certainly be out of Iraq and Afghanistan by 2010 when he graduates....

Boy was I wrong....

[MOCONSERVATIVE]

We've never got out of anywhere we've got in. Congratulations on having an upstanding son that is willing to serve our country.

[joelgp]

i'm sure you're very proud of him. i certainly am.

[LaurieAnn]

Which is an excellent reason to re-instate the draft, no college deferment, in the U.S.

If all middle and upper class parents knew there was a possibility that their children would have to die in wars our government would be a lot less likely to send our youth to fight overseas.

End the "poverty draft."

[panacake5]

Thank you, and him, for the sacrifices made by your family on behalf of mine.

[Netkat]

You must be very proud.

[wadenelson1]

President Obama just committed our nation to (at least) another 5 years of an unwinnable war.

And the editors of the Huffington Post believe it should hold a photo contest from the event?

What about including some photos of dead and dying GI's, instead of these happy-faced cadets.

Show our nation what we are REALLY committing to.

Or perhaps some photos from Abu Gharaib, one of the reason "the enemy" is fighting against us. Show what a nation does, what it becomes, when it engages in war.

[FerraKnows]

And why don't you show us where you made these same objections and statements during Dubya's two terms?

Thanks, Granny!

[wadenelson1]

Type this into Google. You'll get about 10 pages worth of my objections and statements regarding Bush and this war.

wadenelson1 george bush huffingtonpost.comt.com

[MOCONSERVATIVE]

it is articles like this that feed the beliefs of some that everything the president does is just a photo opp.

[kannita]

Why because our future officers want to take pictures with their President? Pres Bush never visited any academy? Take pictures? Ok, you keep believing that.