Foreign policy: have a question about Obama's intent? Ask Joe Biden

July 5, 12:46 PMForeign Policy ExaminerAimee Kligman

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U.S. Vice President Joe Biden poses for a photo with US soldiers at Camp Victory on the outskirts of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, July 4, 2009. Biden celebrated the Fourth of July with his son and other American troops in Iraq on Saturday, a day after warning Iraqi leaders that U.S. assistance will be jeopardized if the country reverts to ethnic and sectarian violence. Biden began Independence Day by greeting more than 200 U.S. soldiers who were becoming American citizens at a naturalization ceremony in a marble domed hall at one of Saddam Hussein's palaces at Camp Victory, the U.S. military headquarters on the outskirts of Baghdad. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed, Pool)

Vice President Joe Biden doesn't mince his words, and oftentimes, he has been teased about not sticking to the script. Overall, however, Joe Biden understands foreign policy far better than most politicians as he was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was ubiquitous on today's Sunday shows, as he talked to the press from Iraq, where he was sent on a 'new mission' by President Obama. As we watch the dynamics of the Obama administration's foreign policy unfold, it is becoming clear that Obama is the game changer, and envoys like Mitchell, Holbrooke, and even his vice president are the bearers of 'guess what the bad news is?".

And as we suspected early on in this administration, Secretary of State Clinton does not have the traditional role held by U.S. Secretaries of State that preceded her. She has been on the sidelines in situations where one would have expected her to be front and center. In the Middle East, for instance, the onus has been deposed on the shoulders of George Mitchell, and perhaps it is a smart and calculated move. Leaders in the Middle East, as much as they recognize Hillary Clinton and admire her, respond better to a male figure. When it comes to gender equality, sad as it is to say, the Middle East is in the Middle Ages.

See these telling articles: 02/08/09 Madame Secretary of State: You are missing from the nucleus of foreign policy

02/02/09 Hillary Clinton is Secretary of State except for the Middle East

Getting back to Joe Biden, he is in Iraq to pick up the diplomatic and support role as the U.S. begins to withdraw its troops from the country.  Biden met with Nouri Al-Maliki and his suggestions were met with some resistance; as he advised that Iraq needed to promote national reconciliation, the Iraqi prime minister rebuffed Biden, declaring that the matter was an 'internal' Iraqi matter, and that American interference was not welcome. So, does the assignment end here? There's a bit of hypocrisy involved on the part of al-Maliki, as he is the one that calls for continued U.S. support, obviously worried about his own skin. For Iraq to really regain its sovereignty, a government representing all factions will have to be installed at some point, which may mean al-Maliki's demise. So, Biden delivered the bad news: if you don't resolve your issues, don't count on U.S. support.

Onto the next Persian Gulf matter: Iran. The reason that Obama has been restrained in his comments thus far is because his offer of dialogue with the republic is still on the table. So said Joe Biden, under no uncertain terms. The urgency of dialogue with Iran has not changed, especially now that it may find itself isolated by the international community, and decide to accelerate its nuclear weapons program. (New IAEA director has indicated that he sees no evidence of that happening in Iran).

In a shocking statement during his interview with Stephanopoulos today, he indicated that Israel has a 'sovereign right' to attack Iran, but this was far from an endorsement for an attack. He appeared to have detached the U.S. from what Israel would decide to do, as he added that each country needed to do what was in their interest. This is a definite U turn, and may be a possible reminder to Netanyahu that he needs to stop procrastinating on the Palestinian question.

Lebanese newspaper the Daily Star reported that Iraqi supporters of Shiite anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr burned American flags in protest of Biden's visit. It indicated that this was a stark reminder of 'the legacy inherited by Obama's administration'.

Not everyone was upset at Biden's visit:

The vice president's arrival in Baghdad was welcomed by Wathad Shaqir, chief of the Iraqi parliament's national reconciliation committee.

"I believe he has brought some suggestions regarding the reconciliation project," Shaqir told state television, noting he was happy that Biden's communal federation idea had been abandoned. "We are looking forward to a new page," he added.