WASHINGTON - Sen. Joe Biden says U.S. overtures to provincial tribal leaders in Iraq may indicate a dominant central government in Baghdad "is not in the cards."

Meeting with tribal leaders could mean "they're beginning to figure out, at least I hope they are, that a strong central democratic government is not in the cards, one that can be trusted by all the people," the Delaware politician said on ABC's "This Week With George Stephanopoulos." "You need a limited central government and you need to give more autonomy to the regions."

Biden, seeking the 2008 Democratic nomination for president, said votes by Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Barrack Obama, D-Ill., both of whom are also chasing the nomination, to cut off funding for troops in Iraq was "a mistake."

"I know I'm being criticized within my party for not voting the way they did but ... there's some things worth losing elections over," the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said.

Asked if the country is safer now than six years ago, Biden said, "Marginally but not much."

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, more terrorists have been created, Biden said. "They haven't struck us yet."

Copyright ©  2007, by United Press International. All Rights Reserved.