Among the items likely to be on his agenda is the country’s inability to form a new government since the March elections and the role going forward of the United States military, which plans to keep about 50,000 troops in Iraq through the end of next year.

This is the 14th visit to Iraq for Vice President Biden, who has been charged with overseeing the Obama administration’s Iraq policy.

Obama previewed the speech in his weekly radio address, couching the end of combat operations in a manner that is already causing Republican heads to explode.

“As a candidate for this office, I pledged I would end this war. As president, that is what I am doing,” Obama said.