By Charles Hoskinson

YES, IT’S REALLY OVER – The return of the U.S. Forces-Iraq colors today to the United States will give Obama yet another opportunity to celebrate the ending of U.S. involvement in that country. The president and Biden will be at Andrews AFB today at noon for a ceremony marking their return. Carter and Dempsey will also be on-hand. Obama also marked the end of Iraq fighting last week in an appearance before troops at Ft. Bragg, N.C., and in his weekly radio address. The president’s campaign also last week released a video signaling that the “promise kept” to withdraw U.S. troops would be a common theme as he seeks re-election next year: http://politi.co/rTEMpq

MEANWHILE, THE UNEASY TRUCE among Iraqi sects is threatening to explode again into civil war as the Shiite-led government turned on a prominent Sunni Arab leader. President Jalal Talabani expressed surprise today at an arrest warrant issued Monday by the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi on terrorism charges. Hashemi is in Kurdistan, where he was presumably hoping that the government would not be able to seize him. Talabani, a Kurd, has often tried to play a mediating role in Sunni-Shiite tensions among Iraq’s Arabs. http://bit.ly/u1nqCA

CARNEY TOLD REPORTERS at the White House that “We are talking to all of the parties and … have expressed our concern regarding these developments. We are urging all sides to work to resolve differences peacefully and through dialogue, in a manner consistent with the rule of law and the democratic political process.”

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