( CNN ) -- Same time , same date , same length . No , you have n't stepped into a time machine -- President Barack Obama 's address to the nation on his strategy for dealing with the threat posed by ISIS in Iraq and Syria , delivered on September 10 , 2014 , had some striking similarities to his address on airstrikes against Bashar al-Assad 's regime in Syria delivered exactly a year earlier . The bottom line was different . On September 10 , 2013 , Obama announced the United States would not be launching airstrikes in Syria ; on Wednesday , he announced the U.S. military would . Here 's what changed and what did n't over the past year : . WHAT 'S CHANGED ? No set timeline . In his 2013 address , Obama was very clear that any military action in Syria would have been limited in its scope . `` This would be a targeted strike to achieve a clear objective : deterring the use of chemical weapons and degrading Assad 's capabilities , '' he said . Strong reaction to Obama statement : 'ISIL is not Islamic ' In his speech on Wednesday , the President told Americans that this campaign to take out ISIS would take time and left unanswered the question of how long the fight against the terrorist group might last . `` Now , it will take time to eradicate a cancer like ISIL , '' he said . `` This counterterrorism campaign will be waged through a steady , relentless effort to take out ISIL wherever they exist , using our air power and our support for partner forces on the ground . This strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us , while supporting partners on the front lines , is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia for years . '' 9/11 . Although it took place on the eve of the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks , Obama 's speech last year did n't include any mention of 9/11 . His speech on Wednesday did , though it was just one line : `` Tomorrow marks 13 years since our country was attacked . '' A recent CNN poll showed that 53 % of Americans are concerned with acts of terrorism in the United States around the 9/11 anniversary , an increase from 39 % in 2011 . A frightening , far-reaching new world of terror threats since 9/11 . The popularity factor . Obama acknowledged in 2013 that military intervention in Syria was not going to be embraced by the American public . `` Now , I know that after the terrible toll of Iraq and Afghanistan , the idea of any military action , no matter how limited , is not going to be popular . '' CNN polling taken in September 2013 showed that was true : Only 29 % of Americans thought it was in the national interest of the United States to get involved in Syria . This time , the politics are a bit easier . Americans overwhelming support additional airstrikes against ISIS -- 76 % according to CNN polls . WHAT HAS N'T CHANGED ? This is not going to be a repeat of the Iraq war and there wo n't be `` boots on the ground . '' This continues to be a key point for the President , who never supported the war in Iraq . He stressed it in 2013 , saying : `` I will not put American boots on the ground in Syria . I will not pursue an open-ended action like Iraq or Afghanistan . '' He stressed it again on Wednesday . `` As I have said before , these American forces will not have a combat mission -- we will not get dragged into another ground war in Iraq . '' Obama does n't need the approval of Congress , but he 'd like it . For a president that frequently blames Congress for not getting things done , Obama has demonstrated an enthusiasm for including them when it comes to the question of military action in Syria . `` Even though I possess the authority to order military strikes , I believed it was right , in the absence of a direct or imminent threat to our security , to take this debate to Congress , '' Obama said in 2013 . `` I believe our democracy is stronger when the President acts with the support of Congress . And I believe that America acts more effectively abroad when we stand together . '' Transcript : President Obama 's speech on combating ISIS and terrorism . He made a strikingly similar remark on Wednesday . `` I have the authority to address the threat from ISIL . But I believe we are strongest as a nation when the President and Congress work together . So I welcome congressional support for this effort in order to show the world that Americans are united in confronting this danger . '' One key difference though between then and now is the actual likelihood of congressional approval for military action . In 2013 , it was clear by the time Obama gave his East Room address that an authorization vote was going to fail in Congress . On the fight against ISIS , it appears likely that the President will get support from Congress on at least some elements . Ted Cruz : How U.S. can stop ISIS . America ca n't fight every evil . Early in his remarks on Wednesday , Obama noted `` we can not erase every trace of evil from the world , and small groups of killers have the capacity to do great harm . '' It was something he pointed out last year . `` America is not the world 's policemen , '' he said at the end of his 2013 remarks . `` Terrible things happen across the globe , and it is beyond our means to right every wrong . ''
President Barack Obama 's made a speech on Syria exactly a year ago . Both speeches involved the topic of military action in Syria . The first one was delivered by Secretary Clinton, and it included some very specific proposals for how to go about this mission :