As Iraqi election officials tally the votes from Sunday’s parliamentary elections, the Obama administration faces some difficult choices in the weeks and months ahead. Despite the apparent success of the election and the limited violence associated with it, there is the potential for uncertainty in the coming months as Iraqi parties wrangle for control of a new governing coalition.
The Obama administration appears tempted to claim political credit and move on. Last month, Vice President Biden said that Iraq “could be one of the great achievements of this administration.” President Obama, in his Rose Garden remarks after voting ended on Sunday, said that “the future of Iraq belongs to the people of Iraq,” and repeated previous promises that by the end of next year, all U.S. troops would be out of Iraq.
