Robert Gates actually said...

the July 2011 date was chosen because it will be 2 years after the Marines arrived in Helmand.

How do we refine and narrow the mission to make it achievable, and achieve the objectives, in terms of our own security?

I think the other audience, frankly, is the American people, who are weary after 8 years of war, and to let them know this isn't going to go...

Our hope is that the President's speech last night, and his decisions, will help change the political dynamic among some of our allies.