By Chuck Stewart, Jr.
WEST POINT – President Barack Obama will visit the United States Military Academy Tuesday night to deliver his plan to the American people for the war in Afghanistan in a nationally televised address scheduled for 8 p.m.
West Point said the announcement came as a complete surprise.
\”We found out when the president\’s press secretary announced it\” this morning, said West Point spokesman Jim Fox.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs made the announcement during Wednesday morning\’s press briefing. Gibbs stated, \”We\’re in the 9th year of efforts in Afghanistan, right? The American people are going to want to know why we\’re here. They\’re going to want to know what our interests are. The President will want to walk through his decision-making process and give people a sense of the importance of our efforts, but reiterate for them that this is not – this is not – the President does not see this as an open-ended engagement. Our time there will be limited, and I think that\’s important for people to understand.\”
Anti-war groups, after learning of the President\’s trip to West Point, are planning a protest outside West Point\’s Thayer Gate around 6:30 p.m.
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