Obama promises to rally public behind troops

Pablo Martinez Monsivais / The Associated Press President Barack Obama shakes hands Nov. 12 during a rally at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.

Obama promises to rally public behind troops

By Mark S. Smith - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Nov 13, 2009 13:51:44 EST

ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska — Nearing a decision on sending more troops off to war, President Barack Obama told a military audience Thursday that he will not dispatch them into conflict without proper support — including the backing of the American people.

“That is a promise that I make to you,” Obama told more than 1,000 troops and their families gathered at a hangar here, as the president stopped briefly for refueling en route to a four-country trip to Asia.

The president made no direct mention of Afghanistan or his weeks-long review, now nearing completion, of how to revamp the struggling war effort there. Obama is expected to send in thousands more troops.

In recent days, from a somber memorial for the 13 people shot to death at Fort Hood, Texas, to a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Obama has lauded the determination of the all-volunteer military.
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