JONAH GOLDBERG
Who gets to claim responsibility for success in Iraq? Joe Biden?

‘Victory has a hundred fathers,” John F. Kennedy said, “and defeat is an orphan.”

By that standard, George W. Bush has won the Iraq war.

Last month, Vice President Joe Biden proclaimed on CNN’s Larry King Live that the peaceful transition to democracy and the (partial) withdrawal of U.S. forces “could be one of the great achievements of this administration.”

Initially, I ignored Biden’s comment because, well, he’s Joe Biden. As critical as I may be of the Obama administration, holding it accountable for Biden’s mouth seems grotesquely unfair.

But then White House spokesman Robert Gibbs defended the vice president, suggesting that it was Obama who put Iraq “back together” and worked out bringing American troops home.

Read Complete Article at NRO

Rhode Island Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy, the son of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, will announce on Friday that he is retiring, according to Democratic insiders.

Kennedy, 42, was first elected to the House in 1994. His departure will leave Congress without a Kennedy for the first time since 1962, when his father was elected to the Senate seat held previously by his uncle, John F. Kennedy.

In a two-minute video retirement announcement, Kennedy invokes the memory of his father as he explains his decision to leave the House.

“My father instilled in me a deep commitment to public service,” Kennedy says. “Now, having spent two decades in politics, my life is taking a new direction, and I will not be a candidate for reelection this year. Going forward, I will continue many of the fights we’ve waged together, particular on behalf of those suffering from depression, addiction, autism and post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Kennedy’s congressional tenure was marked by repeated substance abuse problems, including a drunk-driving incident in 2006. He entered a rehab facility at that time and again in 2009.

Kennedy is the 14th House Democrat to announce his retirement so far in this election cycle. Eighteen House Republicans have said they will leave Capitol Hill.

Read more at Politico