I guess he's done with his other formal responsibilities, like running the US economy and fixing our foreign intelligence apparatus. It'd be a pity if he let all his spare time go to waste, idle hands and the devil's playground and all that. So I'm thinking this is good:

Vice President Joe Biden's official portfolio is expanding. NEWSWEEK has learned that President Obama has asked Biden to take the lead role on Iraq as the U.S. begins its scheduled drawdown of combat troops, a move that comes as administration officials are expressing concerns about the uptick in violence and political instability in the region. Biden's role will be something of an unofficial envoy to Iraq, though he won't handle day-to-day dealings with officials on the ground. The goal is to "raise the level" in hopes that Biden's stature encourages Iraqi officials to bridge their political differences, says a senior administration official who didn't want to be named talking about high-level personnel decisions. "He knows the players," White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel tells NEWSWEEK. "He brings a lot of experience and expertise on this issue to the table, and the president trusts him."

He certainly does know the players. He doesn't technically know what any of them do, which is how he ends up thanking people who bailed on Iraq for helping us with Iraq. At least the country isn't heating up again, with jihadists infiltrating from Syria at the same time that the Obama administration is sucking up to Assad. Supple and incisive geopolitical minds, this bunch.

Whatever. The media's more than ready to cover for him on Iraq, just like they've been doing on everything else since the election campaign.

References and previously after the jump...