Soon-to-be-retired Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, on his final tour of the country this week, warned that it would be 'premature' to make any significant changes to the military campaign in Afghanistan before the end of the year or until the United States can say that 'we've turned the corner here in Afghanistan.'
The White House, on the other hand, continues to argue that the cuts in the numbers of troops will be 'real.'
Even if the Pentagon and White House agree on the number, Gates' public dissent makes it difficult for the president to sell that number to his supporters, who are getting increasingly agitated over the growing cost of the war."
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