US is leaving a 'legacy of waste' in Iraq

Reporting from Khan Bani Saad, Iraq — The shell of a prison that will never be used rises from the desert on the edge of this dusty town north of Baghdad, a hulking monument to the wasted promise of America's massive, $53-billion reconstruction effort in Iraq.

Construction began in May 2004 at a time when U.S. money was pouring into the country. It quickly ran into huge cost overruns. Violence erupted in the area, and a manager was shot dead in his office. The Iraqi government said it didn't want or need the prison. In 2007 the project was abandoned, but only after $40 million of U.S. taxpayer money had been spent.

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Jill Biden makes acting debut on 'Army Wives'

Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, has made her very own acting debut in the television show "Army Wives," as part of her bid to help support US families affected by family members at war.

In the episode, which aired on Saturday, Biden plays a mother whose son has been deployed to Iraq. In many ways, reports Politico, she played herself: stopping by an army fort to speak with military families about their obstacles.

"The important thing is to realize you're not alone," Biden said to the military wives who gathered around her. "And when you need help, say so."


"It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up", Biden reportedly said on a television interview she gave regrading the role. 

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