Obama Gives Biden Iraq Assignment
EmailABC News' Karen Travers reports: In the last few weeks, President Obama quietly has added a new issue to Vice President Biden’s portfolio – Iraq. Biden will serve as a “high point of contact” in the West Wing on Iraq, a senior administration official said, taking a more active role in reaching out to Iraqi officials and serving as a go-between for American officials on the ground and the White House. The new assignment was timed to the pullout of U.S. combat forces from Iraqi cities this week but the vice president’s specific duties are still developing and the role is open-ended. White House officials were careful to define Biden’s role – he is not an envoy and this is not a full-time position. U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill and Gen. Ray Odierno do not report to the vice president, but because of Biden’s foreign policy background, the president wanted him to take a more active role on Iraq policy. A senior administration official described this active role as more of a weekly check-in than day-to-day engagement. The Iraq assignment is in addition to Biden’s work heading up the Middle Class Task Force and leading the oversight efforts on the Recovery Act. While the assignment is timed to the U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraqi cities, a senior administration official said it was not a direct result of the recent uptick in violence there. –Karen Travers
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Well Joe did such a bang up job on that stimulus money tracking thingy…why it just seems natural that he should keep his eagle eye on the massacre of innocent people fighting for freedom and report back to us……yessireee, no one messes with eagle eye joe.
gird yer loins folks.
Posted by: mary | June 29, 2009, 5:53 pm 5:53 pm
This should be a hoot. Keep Biden out of sight does not keep him out of mind. Another postive failure of the obama policies at work.
Posted by: Bob | June 29, 2009, 6:03 pm 6:03 pm
Good luck to Joe with his new assignment. That’s certainly one way to sequester him.
By the way, it’s summer now Karen. Tell Jake it’s time for a new photo — maybe in the Rose Garden this time.
Posted by: Kent | June 29, 2009, 6:27 pm 6:27 pm
“Gomer has a new assignement”, “Joe did such a bang up job on that stimulus money”, “Joe Biden………Iraq?? OH GAWD!!”
Again, cheap shot insults from the ‘right’. Smear, smear, smear . .. is that all you folks know?
Posted by: danita | June 29, 2009, 6:38 pm 6:38 pm
Why not? He’s got experience. And he’s only serving in an advisory role. The Ambassadors have final say anyway.
Posted by: LongT | June 29, 2009, 6:42 pm 6:42 pm
OOoooh, all the right wingers are online! Joe will do a better job than many, many Republicans would. You really think someone calling this blather ‘cheap shots’ is a SMEAR? Then maybe you should buy a dictionary. That’s a big book with words, spellings and definitions in it.
Posted by: sevresblue | June 29, 2009, 6:49 pm 6:49 pm
Sheriff Joe. High Point of Contact Joe. Buffoon Joe.
Posted by: Axey | June 29, 2009, 7:05 pm 7:05 pm
Biden was originally added to the ticket to add deep foreign policy experience and expertise. He was not added for his talking skills, where he excels in amount said to the detriment of what he shouldn’t be saying. It would make sense for Obama to have him engaged on keeping a handle on Iraq – that’s just good use of resources.
Posted by: jhw539 | June 29, 2009, 7:08 pm 7:08 pm
Can’t be an important assignment.
He gave it Joe, fer crissakes.
Posted by: Trajan | June 29, 2009, 7:26 pm 7:26 pm
Sweet !!!!! High Point of Contact Joe!! No responsibility !!! Just “High Point Of Contact Joe” !!! What’s up with that ???? The US has an Ambassador to Iraq— And he won’t report to HPOC Joe ??? Come On!!!!! If Iraq’s going to go up in flames now that the troops have pulled out—-HPOC Joe needs to take the hit !!!! How can someone with his incredible and unique degree of experience be allowed to slide unscathed as the world burns around him??
Posted by: roscoe | June 29, 2009, 7:28 pm 7:28 pm
In an alternative universe in another time, McCain-Palin prevailed in the U.S. presidential election. Several months later, Pres. McCain asked V.P. Palin to be his high point of contact on Iraq. She respectfully declined indicating, “I can’t see Iraq from here and its immoral to get high on Contact?”
How’s that for a nightmare?
Posted by: B. Bear | June 29, 2009, 7:55 pm 7:55 pm
Brother Bear, do you really want to get into a “which VP candidate is stupider” contest? Which one said that Obama is “the first mainstream African-American who’s clean and articulate”? Which one said “you can’t go into a 7-Eleven without a slight Indian accent”? Which one said that President Roosevelt made a speech on television three years before he was president and ten years before television was invented? Which one told a man in a wheelchair to stand up?
Posted by: jordin | June 29, 2009, 8:15 pm 8:15 pm
Jordin: I do commend you for admitting Palin is “stupid”. It seems we’re just arguing about the relative degree now. Actually, you have a point, Biden does pop-off too much. But, you Repubs always fail to point out that Biden sincerely apologized to the man in the wheel chair when he realized his mistake. Biden also is terrible at that “fancy pageant walking.” I’ll give you the last word. I have to go figure out what Mary meant when she posted, “gird yer loins, folks”.
Posted by: B. Bear | June 29, 2009, 8:30 pm 8:30 pm
“Joe will do a better job than many, many Republicans would”
Yeah, Right!, He has done such a fantastic job with his other assignments so far.
Middle Class Task Force – opps, those are the crickets your hearing……
Keepin gan eye on the great “Stimulator”….yep, no Bidenisms in those reports….
Heck, I don’t blame Obama at all, he just wants to get the guy as far from Washington as he can….LOL !!!!
Posted by: Mike_C | June 29, 2009, 8:30 pm 8:30 pm
Wow another great decision by
President Obama! Not!
Isn’t this the Joe Biden who before
President Bush initiated the winning
surge strategy in Iraq said thaqt he would divide Iraq into three sections,
Sunni, Shia, and Kurd?
Great Idea. Duh!
Mr President you are defined by the
people you surround yourself with.
Geithner(tax cheat), Sibelius(tax cheat), Biden(court jester), Rev Wright,
Father Phlegar, Bill Ayres!
Your lack of judgement is monumental.
Posted by: reaganfan | June 29, 2009, 9:51 pm 9:51 pm
I forgot about that! What ever did happen to that “Middle Class Task Force” job? I haven’t heard anything about that for months!
Posted by: LongT | June 29, 2009, 9:59 pm 9:59 pm
Biden is the token stupid white guy in this awful movie that is being played out in our nation’s capital. Well, and on our TV’s every freakin’ day!!!
Posted by: sexygop | June 29, 2009, 11:17 pm 11:17 pm
B. Bear,
You assume that I’m a Republican because I criticize Joe Biden? Well, while that’s not the best assumption to make, you are technically correct. I am registered as a Republican, but only because where I live Democratic primaries are open and Republican primaries are only for registered Republicans. For all non-official intents and purposes, I am an independent with primarily libertarian leanings and a strong distrust of Washington.
I was trying to get this discussion back on topic, to the man who actually is VP, not a one-time VP candidate who’s 4000 miles away. However, if you want it to be a “which VP candidate would do a better job of running things” debate, then, despite all her flaws, Palin would have to win hands-down. Biden has never had to run a private company, a city, or a state, with all the management of money and people and logistics that takes. Alaska is running a surplus, even now, and with no state taxes on individuals. Biden has more factual knowledge about Iraq, but Palin has more experience with running things. You know, together, they could probably prove quite formidable, so long as Biden never said anything in public.
If you haven’t found what the “gird your loins” thing means yet, I’ll help: Biden said it. At a fundraiser in October, Biden told supporters to prepare themselves for an Obama presidency, saying “Mark my words, it will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. … Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.” He then added “I probably shouldn’t have said all this because it dawned on me that the press is here.”
Biden warned us that if Obama won, bad things would happen. Most conservatives agree.
And by the way, I don’t care that Biden apologized to the guy in the wheelchair. I’m not concerned that he offended someone, I’m concerned that he made a thoughtless error like that in the first place, because presidents and vice presidents don’t usually get mulligans. Besides, did he ever apologize for thinking FDR was president in 1929? For that matter, did Obama ever apologize for thinking that Afghanis speak Arabic?
Anyway, sorry this is so long (that’s what he said).
Posted by: jordin | June 30, 2009, 12:08 am 12:08 am
How long has President Obama been in office? Less than 6 months!Give him a break,u gave Bush 8 years to wreck the country but Obama is to fix it in a couple of months.
Posted by: Donna4Obama | June 30, 2009, 1:27 am 1:27 am
“In an alternative universe in another time, McCain-Palin prevailed in the U.S. presidential election. Several months later, Pres. McCain asked V.P. Palin to be his high point of contact on Iraq. She respectfully declined indicating, “I can’t see Iraq from here and its immoral to get high on Contact?”
How’s that for a nightmare?”
And Joe Biden is well-respected for his foreign policy experience and expertise.
Thank goodness that woman never got near the reins of power. We don’t know how lucky we are.
Posted by: danita | June 30, 2009, 3:01 am 3:01 am
Great!
Joe “let divide Iraq” Biden is handed out that assignment, a further confirmation to me “personally” that Obama and his followers don’t give “you know what” about the Iraqi people.
Not that I was holding hope for someone apologizing to non-Iraqi Muslim Crowds for removing Saddam.
Posted by: Hasan Faris | June 30, 2009, 4:59 am 4:59 am
Oh, yah, forgot, Biden killed ‘em in Lebanon. He’s an excellent speaker and diplomat, and relations between Lebanon and U.S., although will take a while as with Serbia, are on a positive road once again.
Love Joe Biden. Brillian with foreign policy.
Posted by: Stewart | June 30, 2009, 5:43 am 5:43 am
To Jordin: You have pretty much all of your ranting post wrong or full of half-baked information fed to you by breathless media. Check your facts on just about everything and the meaning behind just about everything. You’re basically parroting blog talking points, nothing else. I don’t have time to go through and correct everything, but my suggestion, if these “muddy” factoids make you feel better that’s fine, but I for one would appreciate it if you left falsehoods off public blogs (unless you’re a plant, then what can we do, right?)
Posted by: Been there | June 30, 2009, 7:10 am 7:10 am
Nice move by President Obama. Biden is brilliant in foreign relations and foreign policy. He is highly respected here and abroad, spending years of hard work developing relations with numerous foreign governments and leaders as member and Chair of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
When first in the mix for VP, Biden was sent on a fact-finding trip to Georgia and Ukraine; he will return to Georgia and Ukraine next month for the administration (full circle).
I believe Obama is utilizing Bidens foreign policy expertise wisely, with Biden already traveling to and speaking in Munich, Costa Rica, Chile, Brussels, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the recent and historic trip to the Balkens-Kosovo/Serbia, and Lebanon. In Washington, Biden meets frequently with foreign leaders including French PM Fillon, Haitian PM Pierre-Louis, Japanese PM Abe, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, and of course Karzai, Talibani, and Zardari and several others. This is good.
VP Biden is highly versed in all that is Iraq, and the region and situation is complex at best. I could not feel more at ease knowing that Iraq is added to Bidens portfolio. Thank you Mr. President, and good on ya, Joe!
Posted by: Stewart | June 30, 2009, 7:15 am 7:15 am
Obama made a great decision placing Biden in a leading role on Iraq. Aside from Joe being uniquely brilliant in foreign policy in general, VP Biden is considered the only US official, who has developed and honed, over the course of the last five years, a comprehensive and viable strategy to promote a sustainable political settlement in Iraq so that US forces may be withdrawn without leaving the chaos of a fragmented state in their wake.
The Biden strategy for Iraq is based on federalism as outlined in the Iraqi constitution and remains the only hope there is for national political reconciliation in Iraq. The Vice President has already received overwhelming support for this strategy in Congress, from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and, most importantly, from most of Iraq’s sectarian leaders.
Most of the comments on this thread are from the same handful I read time to time. Saying the same falsehoods. Biden is our best bet right now. It’s good to see this addition to his portfolio.
Posted by: Hope again | June 30, 2009, 7:23 am 7:23 am
It’s amusing to read the untruths about VP Biden on this thread.
The middle class task force is highly successful right now and the stim implementation and green job program is in full gear.
I encourage anyone who “wonders” what is happening with the vice president, is simply do a bit of research on any site that carries Political 44 information on Obama or Biden’s schedules. It’s interesting, and you don’t have to rely on suspect commenters or questionable reporters.
You can see who they meet, where they travel, conference calls, special appearances, speeches, foreign visits, political and special events…they have numerous goings-on every day. I check in because I want to know what the President and VP are doing.
Truth be told, they never stop. Please, we’re in a technological age and articles, speeches, videos, first-person accounts are available at your fingertips.
There is no longer need for gossip and inuendo and Obama and Biden do not deserve such tawdry things. Investigate on your own, don’t let others tell you questionable information. Good Luck!
Posted by: Hope again | June 30, 2009, 7:33 am 7:33 am
This guy had brain surgery performed on him .I often wonder if thats why hes the gaffer of the white house. I pray our troops wont start dieing in the pullout of the citys .obama wants cover from the fallout if it does, same as with the stimulus package. god bless our troops.
Posted by: school_bus_yellow | June 30, 2009, 9:01 am 9:01 am
“White House officials were careful to define Biden’s role – he is not an envoy and this is not a full-time position.”
So, “high point of contact” means… lightning rod?
Posted by: WhereWasThePress? | June 30, 2009, 9:40 am 9:40 am
It’s amusing to read the untruths about VP Biden on this thread.
The middle class task force is highly successful right now and the stim implementation and green job program is in full gear.
I encourage anyone who “wonders” what is happening with the vice president, is simply do a bit of research on any site that carries Political 44 information on Obama or Biden’s schedules. It’s interesting, and you don’t have to rely on suspect commenters or questionable reporters.
You can see who they meet, where they travel, conference calls, special appearances, speeches, foreign visits, political and special events…they have numerous goings-on every day. I check in because I want to know what the President and VP are doing.
Truth be told, they never stop. Please, we’re in a technological age and articles, speeches, videos, first-person accounts are available at your fingertips.
There is no longer need for gossip and inuendo and Obama and Biden do not deserve such tawdry things. Investigate on your own, don’t let others tell you questionable information. Good Luck!
Obama made a great decision placing Biden in a leading role on Iraq. Aside from Joe being uniquely brilliant in foreign policy in general, VP Biden is considered the only US official, who has developed and honed, over the course of the last five years, a comprehensive and viable strategy to promote a sustainable political settlement in Iraq so that US forces may be withdrawn without leaving the chaos of a fragmented state in their wake.
The Biden strategy for Iraq is based on federalism as outlined in the Iraqi constitution and remains the only hope there is for national political reconciliation in Iraq. The Vice President has already received overwhelming support for this strategy in Congress, from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and, most importantly, from most of Iraq’s sectarian leaders.
Most of the comments on this thread are from the same handful I read time to time. Saying the same falsehoods. Biden is our best bet right now. It’s good to see this addition to his portfolio.
Posted by: sprowlindak | June 30, 2009, 10:45 am 10:45 am
I am extremely proud – and reassured – that someone as knowledgable, intelligent and honest as Joe Biden is our Vice President and that President Obama appears to be making good use of his skills and judgment. For those of you who can only regurgitate the latest (or long ago) “gotcha” headlines, I’m sorry that your understanding of public affairs .. and real life … is so shallow. Try, as someone suggests, looking at the daily schedule these two men keep; read their books; think about some of the lessons and perspectives they share quite eloquently. You don’t have to approve or even like them, but you should realize that neither our President nor our Vice President are one-line jokes. They are very capable, committed persons who are working – hard – to make life better, fairer and more secure for all of us. Even those of who who do nothing but sit on the sidelines making noise.
Posted by: Elizabeth | June 30, 2009, 10:46 am 10:46 am
The more amusing parts are:
1-Calling Biden Intelligent
2-Rewording his splitting of Iraq into 3 states.
Posted by: Hasan Faris | June 30, 2009, 10:55 am 10:55 am
=== but you should realize that neither our President nor our Vice President are one-line jokes. ===
You mean our current President and Vice President, don’t you? After 8 years of listening to the left smear Bush/Cheney, I am not inclined to play by the new nice/nice rules.
Posted by: Axey | June 30, 2009, 11:31 am 11:31 am
“Biden is brilliant in foreign relations and foreign policy. He is highly respected here and abroad”
Are taxpayer funds being used for Biden’s PR staff to troll blogs? Or are these comments being supplied by AmeriCorps or ACORN interns?
Posted by: tjp612 | June 30, 2009, 1:06 pm 1:06 pm
This is the most hilarious piece of news I’ve read today. That and ACORN terrorizing financial institutions in 14 cities – our STIMULUS money going to good use.
Posted by: Jenny | June 30, 2009, 1:12 pm 1:12 pm
Posted by: sprowlindak | Jun 30, 2009 10:45:32 AM
What country do you live in??????????
Posted by: Lizzie | June 30, 2009, 1:24 pm 1:24 pm
Posted by: danita | Jun 30, 2009 3:01:12 AM
You don’t get out very much.
Posted by: Lizzie | June 30, 2009, 1:27 pm 1:27 pm
Isn’t it funny how ABC doesn’t mention that Biden advocated for partitioning Iraq in 2006?
Imagine if we had followed Biden’s advice.
Posted by: Vince | June 30, 2009, 8:21 pm 8:21 pm
Vince . . .
What do you think would have happened?
Posted by: danita | June 30, 2009, 8:59 pm 8:59 pm
Sheriff Joe can’t even do the task he was assigned to do at the beginning of his tenure to office. But then again….neither has Barry the Bungler!!
Posted by: American Infidel | July 1, 2009, 10:16 am 10:16 am
Another Clueless assignment as are
his appointments by President Obama.
Joe Biden was the Senator who
before the surge strategy was
implemented by President Bush suggested
that Iraq be divided into three parts,
Sunni, Shia, and Kurd!
Yeah he’s a Real Foreign Policy Genius!
NOT! Duh!
Posted by: reaganfan | July 1, 2009, 2:30 pm 2:30 pm
“Barry the Bungler”, “Another Clueless assignment”
More examples of juvenile name calling and cheap-shot insults.
Posted by: danita | July 1, 2009, 3:18 pm 3:18 pm
danita:
It’s not a “cheap shop” if it’s
true and it is!
President Obama is clueless on the
economy(unemployment continues its
climb to 10 percent four months
after the “gotta pass it now” stimulus
bill was rushed through Congress).
He continues to be clueless in foreign
policy as he makes idle threats to
Iran and North Korea and sides with
Hugo Chavez, Daniel Ortega, and
Raul Castro in regard to the
Honduran situation!
Please offer specifics as to how I am
wrong otherwise stop drinking the
Obama “Kool Aid”!
Posted by: reaganfan | July 3, 2009, 1:57 pm 1:57 pm
reaganfan . . ..
Juvenile name calling is just that . .. it belittles the person doing the name calling and the person on the receiving end.
You seem to think that after 4 short months the Stimulus plan should have miraculously ended the economic crisis that has swept over ALL of the G-7 industrial nations.
President Obama clearly said that this economic recovery was NOT going to be easy, nor would it be fast. It would take time is what he told us.
That you chose to ignore this, is really just your own ignorance.
With regard to Honduras again it is mostly your own ignorance showing. The Eurpoean Union, Great Britian, France, Canada, Brazil, Aregentia, Chile – virutally every country in the world took a position very similar to the one taken by President Obama.
That you chose to isolate and associate that position with ONLY Chavez, Castro, Ortega shows just how slanted and untrustworthy your facts are. Spin, spin, spin goes the right. Distort and lie.
Cheers, have a nice day.
Posted by: danita | July 3, 2009, 10:12 pm 10:12 pm
Wow…although this thread is a bit old, I stopped to read the comments, as not nearly enough information is written on VP Biden, even though he has a complex and busy schedule. That said, what captured my attention were heartfelt and honest comments from Stewart, Hope Again, Elizabeth, and sprowlindak. Whoever you four are, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. On this blog, for whatever reason, a select few negative commenters highjack threads and spew anger and hate while attacking others who post comments. It was just pleasant to read, and I take your comments and suggestions to heart. Again, wow and thanks for a respite smile ;-)
Posted by: Nora | July 8, 2009, 8:25 pm 8:25 pm