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Biden addresses vets on Iraqi withdrawal

INDIANAPOLIS — Vice President Joe Biden on Monday told several thousand veterans that “politics and not war has broken out in Iraq” — a route to peace made possible by the sacrifices of American service men and women.

But Biden, who addressed the 111th national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and their spouses gathered at the Indiana Convention Center, said tough challenges remain as the nation now focuses on Afghanistan.

Polls have shown dwindling public support for the war there, and Biden urged these veterans not to join those who are discouraged about the chances of success there.

“Folks, don’t buy into ‘we have failed in Afghanistan,’” Biden said. “We are now only beginning, with the right general and the right number of forces to seek our objectives.”

With the arrival of Gen. David Petraeus to take over the mission there, the United States must work to stem the momentum of the Taliban and to deny safe havens to al Qaida, Biden said. He warned there are challenges, including the roughest terrain in the world, and, he added, much depends on the will of the Afghan people to transition to taking charge of their own government and security.

“They must step up,” Biden said. “We cannot want peace and security in Afghanistan more than they want it.”

But, Biden said, the military has ramped up its strength there, to 100,000 American forces plus another 10,000 allied forces. The buildup comes at the same time as the United States is reducing its military presence in Iraq.

Biden, whose son Capt. Beau Biden served a year in Iraq, was speaking a week after the last combat unit left Iraq. About 50,000 troops remain, down from the peak of more than 170,000 during the 2007 surge. Al Qaida and Iran have “utterly failed” in attempts to stir sectarian violence and to interfere in the elections, Biden said.

He told the veterans he is “absolutely” confident the country is on track to take charge of its own security. But he also said that U.S. forces will remain for some time to continue counter-terrorism efforts and to provide security to American government personnel and infrastructure.

Joe Sokol, a 68-year-old Army veteran from Philadelphia who served in Vietnam from 1965 to 1967, said before Biden’s half-hour speech that he was looking for assurances that Iraq won’t end up being taken over by insurgents now that American troops are leaving.

“If they take that country over, then all our guys died for nothing,” said Sokol. “If we leave there we should make sure the country is secure enough that we don’t have to worry about insurgents coming back in. The way things stand right now they don’t even have a set government.”

The veterans and their spouses were welcomed to Indianapolis Monday morning by Gov. Mitch Daniels.

“You have come this year to a state of patriots,” Daniels said.

No state, he said, is more reverent or more mindful of the sacrifices of veterans than Indiana. Only Washington, D.C., has more monuments to honor the military than Indianapolis, he noted, including one honoring winners of the Medal of Honor.

Biden also told the VFW that it was important that they continue to prod the nation to live up to its “sacred obligation” to provide the military with the equipment and training they need, and to help them and their families when they return home. Several times he talked about the soldiers he has met, calling them “fierce” warriors. And he choked up at one point as he spoke of visiting military hospitals and meeting wounded veterans like one young man who had lost one leg just below the knee and the other leg almost at the hip. Yet that young officer, he said, told him that he had wanted to be able to stand and salute the vice president at his visit.

“No self pity,” Biden said with emotion “No why me.”

In fact, he said, the thing that wounded veterans most often say to him when he asks them if there is anything he can do to help is this: “Mr. Vice President, can you help me get back to my unit?” They were words the veterans here cheered.