Joe Biden update: Iraq one of Obama's 'great achievements'

Who knew?

Thank goodness, Vice President Joe Biden went on CNN to chat with Larry King Wednesday night. So many think things are not going so well for the Democrat administration, as The Ticket chronicled here.

Many Americans recall the ex-Sen. Biden's Democratic primary plans to give in to Iraq's fractious factions and carve the country into three territories. And even more probably recall Biden's boss' plan to halt the Iraq war years ago. As long as it got started anyway without the permission of the then state senator.

Plus, of course, the vehement opposition of the Nobel Prize winner to the 2007 American troop surge of you-know-who from Texas that Obama knew for certain was only going to worsen sectarian strife there. (See 2007 video here.)....

Well, of course, it didn't turn out that way, thanks in large measure to the brave service of hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops who served in that war-torn land and helped peace to break out despite the loud political acrimony back home over their role.

Now, the Obama-Biden pair that opposed the Iraq war and its tactics and predicted their failure is prepared to accept credit for its success.

It seems that Biden, who's from Delaware when he's in Delaware and Pennsylvania when in Pennsylvania, is certain now that Iraq will turn out to be one of the Obama-Biden administration's greatest achievements.

No, really.

Here's how Biden put it to Lar:

I am very optimistic about -- about Iraq. I mean, this could be one of the great achievements of this administration. You're going to see 90,000 American troops come marching home by the end of the summer. You're going to see a stable government in Iraq that is actually moving toward a representative government. 

I spent -- I've been there 17 times now. I go about every two months -- three months. I know every one of the major players in all the segments of that society. It's impressed me. I've been impressed how they have been deciding to use the political process rather than guns to settle their differences.

Biden did not elaborate on what all the administration's other "great achievements" were so far.

No doubt, Iraqis too are very thankful for that 2008 U.S. election. (Full King transcript here.)

-- Andrew Malcolm

Talk about success, openly click here to receive Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item all day every day. Or follow us @latimestot. You can also go to our new Facebook fan page here.

Photo: Lorenzo Bevilaqua / CNN

Comments

[ProudVeteran]

Does this moron think the American public is dumb enough to give him credit for something he rallied against and stated would never work. Hussein Obama tried to cut off funds for our soldiers who were on the front lines in the fight to liberate Iraq, he voted twice to cut off funding to our troops. And Hussein stated that the surge was not going to work.

It was the Bush Administration that set up the secret timeline with the Iraqi government for our troops to leave their country after the country was secure and this was before Hussein took office. All Hussein has done is not screw it up.

And Biden stated the surge wouldn't work as well and that an Iraqi government made of of Sunni, Shite, and Kurds would never work, he was wrong about that as well. And it was Biden that wanted to break Iraq up into three different countries. What an absolute buffoon.

Biden is trying to give Hussein Obama credit for the successful liberation of Iraq. Hussein had nothing to do with the success of the liberation and did everything he could to make the liberation fail.

[Tim]

PersonallyI thought Obamas greatest achievement was when he cured polio.

[Jason]

The fact that this Idiot holds any public office is a testament to the intelligence level of the liberal East coast.

[Matt]

Wow! that is truly amazing. I knew Joe Biden was dumb, but that is amazing how they turned things around in Iraq. Good for the Obama administration! Joe Biden for President 2012!

[Menlo Bob]

At long last Senator Biden, have you no shame.

[Saveit]

Maybe Joe Biden should write the following on his hand -- and his forehead too if needed: "Success in Iraq was Bush's fault."

[Greg]

I cant decide whther these guys drink their own cool-aid and are that self-deceived or they are intentionally that deceptive toward the citizens and actually think we are that stupid. Neither is good but one must certainly be true.

[David Slater]

Unbelievable! Joe Biden is so full of $#it his eyeballs are floating!

[Steamboat]

Of course they're taking credit. They used to have absolutely zero credibility, now I'd say it's gone into negative numbers. Political hypocritical low lifes.

Now have a good day !

[nag]

This guy should either have his mouth sewn shut, or get a brain transplant.

[haenkepaenke]

The Earth is cooling, the oceans are receding, the economy is recovering... It's a miracle!

[rls]

are you f-ing kidding me i knew that politicians lie but these guys are obviously the two biggest liars on the planet. will everyone come together for the good of the country and fire these two clowns i would rather have no president , we can just put a cigar indian statue in his place

[Go_Figure7722]

Joe Biden, please report to the Principals Office. BO wants to know why there weren't any references to "it was George W Bush's fault."

[Humphster]

Joe got off his meds, it seems.

[adumbrate]

If only these guys were in office....9/11 , WWI, WWII, Vietnam, Korea, et al...never would have happened. They speak with such truth - no one should ever doubt these govt officials again. How do we make a law to get some Obama DNA and make these guys our kings forever? The brilliance is breath taking. To think we all thought W was dumb. I mean, he even thought tax cuts actually RAISE revenue to the treasury. NO WAY! Crazy.

[JRS]

O.K., let me get this straight. President Obama has consistently complained about what he's inherited from the Bush Administration: i.e. high unemployment, outrageous deficit's and debt, two wars, Guantanamo, low standing among the world powers et al, the Patriot Act among countless others.

Joe Biden, who for the past 30 years through his Senate tenure has helped bring America to its knees, was one of the most vocal against the war, especially against the NOW successful Surge which finally brought stability to the region. Joe Biden, who said there could never be a unified Iraq and should be split into three pieces aligned to : Kurd, Shia, and Sunni, has the gall to claim victory for this Administration which he and Senator Obama consistently voted against?

Will someone PLEASE call the White House "White Coats" and put this buffoon in a damn straight jacket where he can no longer inflict anymore harm!.

[werb]

Why did Obama ever pick this guy. Unbelievable..........

[Bryan Abbott]

I'm sorry but isn't this a little like a roofing contractor taking credit for the entire construction of a house? Just because he was the last contractor on the site?

When does the partisan bickering stop? At what point do these Bozo's just do their work and stop grandstanding in order to win votes or cash prizes????

Our government, both parties... make me sick. The behavior our top politicians consistently display is pathetic.

It's our country, not some ridiculous Reality TV show.

Get a life Biden........... Show a little grace for God's sake. Be a man.

[danfromatlanta]

More proof that Biden is an idiot. All through the end of the Bush administration he and the "One" stood up and declared that the surge wouldn't work, and when it did, lied about it and siad it didn't. And lo, when these 2 morons were handed the reigns of power, simply continued with the Bush administration policies in the conduct of the war in Iraq, and now claim victory and a great acheivement for not doing what they promised the idiot voters that sent them to power. So in short, it was a great achievement for the Obama administration to continue the Bush policies they claimed were failures. Some achievement!

[John Hasham]

What shameless historiography! Simply put: Biden is Walter Mitty and living in a dream world.

At best, Obama is Clement Atlee to George Bush's Churchill.

When will there be consensus that the Iraq war was begun in good faith, that there was little room for any American president to take the chance of not responding to Hussein (Sadaam, not Barrack) when he was bluffing about mass-destruction weapons? Sadaam was a loose cannon in a volatile region and someone who banked on a pusillanimous, Euro-centric, corrupt UN to let him go on in violations of his SURRENDER terms and international law.

George Bush, bolstered by John McCain's advocacy, engaged in a necessary troop surge that turned the tide of battle in the Iraq war. At great political expense, President Bush and his party chose the unpopular route but the correct course in winning the war.

People like "Walter Mitty" Biden, the faux-Irish senator from Massachusetts John Forbes Kerry, Senate Majority Leader Harry "we have lost the war" Reid, and our vastly experienced community-organizer Barrack Hussein Obama whined and held to the self-fulfilling prophecy we would lose the war and that the surge would not work.

Thank God for Leaders like George Bush, John McCain and General David Petraeus. Thank God for our great military

Mr Biden: add deluded chutzpah to your resume of buffoonery!

[Esteban Cafe]

Mr. Obama would never take credit for something Bush inflicted on us and the Iraqi's. All the killing of insurgents and infrastructure improvements took place under Bush, the scoundrel. All those people who would have lived their (short) lives under Jihadist rule, had the US pulled out as requested by Mr. Obama, would have him to thank. Oh, that's right: they'd be dead and could not thank Mr. Obama.

[Gamesta]

I love this guy. He always brings a smile to my face.

[DDAY]

What a tool, makes Al "I invented the internet" Gore look like a genius. America is NOT stupid. The average DEM congressman and Senator with rue the day this pair along with Pelosi and Ried hijacked their party.....Repubs, take head, no more crap

[MR. RIGHT]

Biden & President Teleprompter derided GWB for months & months into the 2008 campaign for the Iraq surge decision and now that it has proven successful;
Biden wants to now take credit for it?

What a bunch of shameless lowlifes!

11/2012 won't come soon enough for me!

"Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink."
P.J.O'Rourke

[djcillinois]

As Gomer Pyle would say "SUHPRAHZ, SUHPRAZ."

The Obama/Biden bunch, it seems, would actually prefer to lie because, I think, they think they're so GOOD at it. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Americans have, in short order, figured out that this bunch are simply charlatans and liars who, in their utterly irritating elitist way, imagine that we are bumpkins who will believe anything they say.

Let's stop being concerned about calling them what they are: LIARS! Joe Wilson was right!

[ccarr3rd]

Wawawawhat? Maybe he "drank his lunch" before this interview.

[no not me]

hmmm...obama has been in office for ONE year and biden wants him to take credit for Iraq BUT everything else is Bush's fault.

Biden, you're just as dumb as your leader.

[Miss Me yet?]

Really, has Obama been right yet? Ever? 2012 can't come soon enough.

[Gigi48]

My guess is that this will be one of those rare quotes that will offend every side of the Iraq debate - from the pinkest of Code Pink to those that are to the right of Dick Cheney. How is this man VP? We must all vigilantly pray for the safety of President Obama!

[AZ_Man]

The man lied. The Staus of Forces Agreement that laid out the timetable for withdrawal of forces was negoited and signed by Pre. Bush before Obama or Biden took office. They fought against success in Iraq at every opportunity and stated so publicly.
The U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement (official name: "Agreement Between the United States of America and the Republic of Iraq On the Withdrawal of United States Forces from Iraq and the Organization of Their Activities during Their Temporary Presence in Iraq") is a status of forces agreement (SOFA) approved by the Iraqi government in late 2008 between Iraq and the United States. It establishes that U.S. combat forces will withdraw from Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009, and all U.S. forces will be completely out of Iraq by December 31, 2011, subject to possible further negotiations which could delay withdrawal and a referendum scheduled for mid-2009 in Iraq which may require U.S. forces to completely leave by the middle of 2010.
A bald faced lie by the Vice president and he should be loudly denounced for making this claim that Obama is responsible for success in Iraq. That belongs exclusively to the men and owmen of the US MIlitary and thier CIC at the time Pres. GW Bush.

[tony becker]

Blame George Bush!!! Oh wait...

[Michael]

Just when you thought they couldn't be any bigger idiots....surprise.

[Chrissyann]

OMG!!!!!! AH HAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!! gasp gasp

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!! OMG! I can't breathe!!!!! Jesus Christ!!!!!!!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA
One of the great achievements of this admini-AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!! I can't stand it!!!!!! Wheeeewwwww!!!! I needed a good laugh today!!!!!!! Thanks Plugs!!!!!!!!

[Typical White Guy]

VP Joe Biden is dumber than a rock!

[John]

What exactly is the "great achievement"? Is this the same Iraq war that both of them consistantly voted to suspend funding for and give Bush a deadline to get out? Maybe there's another Iraq that I don't know about.

[Darth Dave]

You have got to be fricken kidding me? Aren't these the bozo's that predicted failure? Now the want to take credit for the success? If ever two dweebs needed to be taken to the woodshed its Odumbo and his brother Ostupido. I can hardly wait for November. Let the investigations begin on these two (smartest POTUS of all time?).

[Jay]

Can their hypocrisy get any worse? Do these buffoons have no shame? Taking credit for Iraq? I think my head is going to explode!

Obama and Biden head the most vile and corrupt administration - BY FAR - that this country has ever known.

[Max Leygrume]

My goodness...

This is without a doubt THE most amateurish , dishonest administration - certainly in my life time.

They still think they're on the campaign trail - where they could say ANYTHING , no matter how ridiculous , and the media would simply REFUSE to report on it. Always a free pass for our first black President from the press!

Oh how times have changed. The thin veil of the media black-out on anything negative concerning our Failure in Chief - has been lifted.

Obama has received the LOWEST voter approval rating for ANY President in history within his first year. IN HISTORY!

Affirmative action simply does NOT work , at any level in this society. Get it?

You've got it now..... 'Change' indeed.

[Jason]

HUGE achievement by Obama. Hard to believe he's had time to do that in between inventing the Internet and ending Vietnam. The guy is genyus, I tell you, pure ginyes!

[PattyDaddy]

The only thing real about a VP Biden is his hair transplant. As a politician he was joke, is a joke, and always will be a joke. Maybe there enough fools who will buy this hyprocrisy. Please realize that widthdrawal from Iraq was signed sealed and delievered before Bush left the White House. Oh about the surge......

[Tom]

Good for you Joe! Finally, an Obama success that he didn't inherit from Bush. Oh, wait.....

[aSonofLiberty]

Funny, Larry did not bother to challenge Joe on whether the Obama administration can claim Iraq as their legacy? More Alinskyism from a Left-wing media collective. (translation - “A lie told often enough becomes the truth.” Vladimir Lenin.)

[Scott Malcomson]

I think Joe Biden just redefined "chutzpah".

[Jeff in Miami Beach]

Isn't this the same man that wanted to split Iraq into 3 states? Isn't he and Obama the ones that said the surge wouldn't work? Isn't he and Obama the ones that will not say the surge works?

Biden once again you proved that you are an Idiot!

[Bruce]

An excellent post by Andrew Malcolm @ the LA Times; I may actually consider purchasing a paper should I run across more commentary like this. I thought your paper was doomed. Who knew?

Actually the real achievement was do to the efforts of the American military and all the militaries around the world that went with them. And thanks also goes to the families of the military personnel for enduring every hardship brought on by the absence and or death of a loved one. And finally, to the Iraqi people who have supported the efforts to establish a stable for of government in your country. I can not imagine what you all have endured for the last 30 years.

[Marc M]

Is there anyone in this administration who is not delusional??

Do they think the American people have forgotten how they acted just 2 years ago?

They were against everything that brought us to where we are in Iraq today and now they want to take credit?

It's sickening and these people are a disgrace.

[TomG]

What an idiot... Maybe Obama needs to get Biden a teleprompter to take everywhere with him (then they'd both have them to drag around all day long every day), so he stops saying such patently absurd, moronic things. And nice follow-up, Larry... Just skim on past it to something else... A conservative saying something that stupid would have their entrails handed to them in a bucket...

[C-Dawg]

Obama and Biden can take credit for Iraq till the cows come home... but everyone with at least half of a functioning brain cell knows who is truly responsible for the budding freedom and success of the Iraqis... our brave men and women in uniform, serving under General Petraeus (not Betray-us, as the MoveOn.org crowd likes to say!) and our former commander in chief, George W. Bush.

Also, another funny and ironic thing about Obama or Biden claiming success or achievements in Iraq is that after all this time, they STILL refuse to acknowledge that we "won" in Iraq... they have never uttered the words "win" or "victory" when speaking on the topic of Iraq... I wonder why?!?

[jc]

Obama finally did something instead of spending tax payers money that they really don't have....Congrats to the libard Nation.

[Joe]

Pretty soon the Obama-friendly media cannot look the other way when Biden continues to demonstrate an IQ that is equivalent to his age.