Biden Tries to Break Iraq Stalemate
Politico reports that Vice President Biden is attempting to end the current political impasse in Iraq:
BAGHDAD – Vice President Joe Biden is using his political capital with Iraq’s leaders to urge them in starkly personal terms to break the four-month stalemate that followed their parliamentary elections.
In detailed talks that accompanied feel-good photo ops during his surprise Fourth of July visit to the war zone, Biden was unyielding on U.S. plans for a dramatic drawdown, but promised not to abandon Iraq and even to step up non-military engagement with the struggling democracy.
“I’m not lecturing, I’m not imparting any great wisdom that you don’t already know,” Biden said at an Independence Day reception at the U.S. embassy. “But the concept of subordinating your individual interest is fundamental to the success of any nation. … So my plea to you is, finish what you started — a truly legitimate and representative government that meets the needs and aspirations of all Iraqi people.”
