Biden has been around and on the Foreign Relations committee for a coon's age really long time.
Calling hearings and long, rambling statements are what passes for foreign policy expertise in the Democrat party. Like Obama, he has no real work experience, I think he went from HS to college to law school and then three years later was elected to his first office, a succession of which he has held for a...really long time up until today.
Well, the surge worked pretty much as advertised and gets extra points for, well, working in reality & not just in an alternate Evil Spock reality or in Harry Reid's melon. Other solutions might have worked, too, but none of them has been a success. Then, there is the bit about 90% of Iraqis being against partition.