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Obama to announce Afghanistan decision soon

President Barack Obama is finalizing a new Afghanistan war strategy and will make an announcement “within days,” spokesman Robert Gibbs said early this morning.

Gibbs did not specify a day, but said the announcement would not be before the Thanksgiving weekend. That points to a major speech early next week, perhaps Tuesday.

Obama has been considering several options, including a proposed strategy by Gen. Stanley McChrystal that would add up to 40,000 more troops to the war along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

Last night, the president conducted his ninth national security meeting on a new war strategy — and the last in a series, according to Gibbs.

“After completing a rigorous final meeting,” he said in a statement, “President Obama has the information he wants and needs to make his decision and he will announce that decision within days.”

Another factor in the decision: Money.

Peter Orszag, the budget director, who has not been seen at any of the previous Afghanistan meetings, attended the latest one.