Originally posted by Elara

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In like two years she is going to kick herself, just wait and see. I hate saying it, but odds are with me.

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President Obama is delivering a speech at the White House announcing plans to withdraw 33,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September of next year.

The president says that the withdrawal signals the beginning of the end of the war that began shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The U.S. and allies have agreed to turn over security responsibility to the Afghans in the year 2014.

Some highlights of the president's speech:

8:07 p.m. -- Obama says he has a simple goal for Afghanistan: "No safe-haven from which al Qaeda or its affiliates can launch attacks against our homeland, or our allies."

8:06 p.m. -- Obama cites progress in Afghanistan -- the death of Osama bin Laden, rollbacks of Taliban gains, improved Afghan security forces.

BUT: "Huge challenges remain. This is the beginning -- but not the end -- of our effort to wind down this war."

8:04 p.m. -- Obama gets quickly to the numbers: "We are meeting our goals. As a result, starting next month, we will be able to remove 10,000 of our troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year, and we will bring home a total of 33,000 troops by next summer."

8:02 p.m. -- The president opens by citing a somber anniversary: It has been nearly ten years since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the cause of the initial Afghanistan invasion. Obama says that when he took office, he needed a new Afghanistan strategy because the nation had been distracted by Iraq -- and he sent more than 30,000 new troops in "one of the most difficult decisions that I've made as President."

8:01 p.m. -- The president is in the East Room, ready to go.

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