Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is accusing President Bush of trying to delay the end of the war in Iraq so the stain of a troop withdrawal will be borne by the next president.
Biden says the central government in Iraq isn’t working and it’s time for the U.S. to help local and tribal leaders in Iraq wield more power in their own country.
"The central government in Iraq has no possibility of winning the trust of the Iraqi people. That is not happening and absent an occupation for a generation, which is not in our DNA, or a return to a dictator, which would be the ultimate irony for us — Iraq cannot and will not be governed from the center," Biden says.
Biden advocates a diplomatic initiative so Iraq becomes "the world’s problem." Biden says he doesn’t trust Iran, but Biden — who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – says it’s necessary to work with Iran and other countries to stabilize the country or Iraq will quickly disintegrate.
"You will see a break along tribal lines and you will see the Iranians having their hands full deciding who among the tribal factions they will support," Biden says.
Biden is in the midst of a campaign swing through Iowa. He made his comments Tuesday afternoon during a stop in Davenport.