During a September 10, 2013 speech announcing the beginning of U.S. military action in Syria, President Barack Obama promised that he would not put American boots on the ground in Syria.

Many of you have asked, won’t this put us on a slippery slope to another war? One man wrote to me that we are “still recovering from our involvement in Iraq.” A veteran put it more bluntly: “This nation is sick and tired of war.”

My answer is simple: I will not put American boots on the ground in Syria. I will not pursue an open-ended action like Iraq or Afghanistan. I will not pursue a prolonged air campaign like Libya or Kosovo. This would be a targeted strike to achieve a clear objective: deterring the use of chemical weapons, and degrading Assad’s capabilities.

Friday, the White House appeared to renege on that promise, announcing that U.S. special forces troops would be deployed to Syria to “advise and assist” rebels.

Watch above, via CNN.

[Image via screengrab]
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