[196][197]
Obama was soon comparing Biden to a basketball player "who does a bunch of things that don't show up in the stat sheet".[198] In May, Biden visited Kosovo and affirmed the U.S. position that its "independence is irreversible".[199] Biden lost an internal debate to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about sending 21,000 new troops to Afghanistan,[200][201] but his skepticism was valued,[202] and in 2009, Biden's views gained more influence as Obama reconsidered his Afghanistan strategy.[203] Biden visited Iraq about every two months,[135] becoming the administration's point man in delivering messages to Iraqi leadership about expected progress there.[202] More generally, overseeing Iraq policy became Biden's responsibility: Obama was said to have said, "Joe, you do Iraq."[204] By 2012, Biden had made eight trips there, but his oversight of U.S. policy in Iraq receded with the exit of U.S. troops in 2011.[205][206]

President Obama congratulates Biden for his role in shaping the debt ceiling deal which led to the Budget Control Act of 2011.
Biden oversaw infrastructure spending from the Obama stimulus package intended to help counteract the ongoing recession.