Biden worried over world's "exceedingly high expectations" from Obama

Washington, Dec 24 (ANI): US Vice President-elect Joe Biden has expressed his concerns about the "exceedingly high expectations" the world community has for Barack Obama's presidency.

According to a report in the Politico, the statement was made by Biden in an interview with CNN's Larry King.

"I have been contacted by so many world leaders. Their expectation for Barack's presidency is overwhelming," Biden told King. "They are so hungry to have an American leader who they think has a policy that reflects our stated values as well as one they can talk to," he added.

In the interview, Biden told King that he and Obama must follow through with action to show how they're different than George W. Bush.

Biden made clear that Obama must make a clean break with Bush's past polices, starting with shutting down the U.S. camp at Guantanamo Bay.

He said that Greg Craig, Obama's incoming White House counsel, and other members of Obama's team are working on a strategy for closing the camp.

"We're in the process of drawing up plans right now," Biden said. "It's going to be complicated to do it. It's going to take more than a few months. But close it we must," he added.

Biden also signaled that there might be some flexibility in another key Obama campaign promise that world leaders are watching closely: bringing home troops from Iraq.

According to him, troops would be out "within the next two years", longer than President-elect Barack Obama's campaign promise of within 16 months, but "in the same ballpark."

He said that Obama would have troops out more quickly than the Bush administration's agreement with the Iraqi government, which calls for troop withdrawal by 2011. (ANI)