Biden: In Iraq, "politics has broken out"
Published: August 24, 2010
Vice President Joe Biden's speech to the Veterans of Foreign War convention noted that progress in Iraq has been inspiring but also frustrating, that violence is down but still threatening, and that the U.S. mission there is winding down but still very active.When President Barack Obama speaks to the nation about the Iraq war next week, expect to hear many of the same contradictions.
But Biden was clear in his remarks that the president fulfilled his pledge to "end the war responsibly," a theme that Obama will also likely echo in his upcoming remarks. This week, for the first time since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the total number of U.S. troops in country dropped below 50,000.
Biden singled out three key points in the progress of the Iraq War to date in his Monday speech. "First, violence in Iraq has decreased to such a degree that those who last served there three or four years ago ... would hardly recognize the place," he said. "Al Qaeda in Iraq and the Shiite extremists remain dangerous, and their attacks still claim innocent lives. But they have utterly failed to achieve their objectives of inflaming sectarian conflict and undermining the Iraqi government."
He also noted that Iraq’s security forces — "now more than 650,000 strong" — have taken control of key military operations throughout the country, proving that "the Iraqis are ready to take charge." And he acknowledged that while political progress is frustratingly slow, "Iraqi leaders who once settled disputes through violence are at this very moment, ironing out their differences in face-to-face negotiations."
"Now, I certainly don’t need to tell you that politics is not always pretty, even our own. But the hard work of forming a new government is well underway, and we urge these politicians to match the courage their citizens have shown, by completing that process."
Obama's speech will coincide with the official end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq, but military officials on the ground have said that most of those missions have already finished up ahead of the deadline.
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