The beginning of detente? Don't bet on it.

Top: Al-Maliki at the podium, speaking before the conference.

Yesterday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki addressed delegations from 13 nations at a regional conference in an attempt to quell the growing sectarian violence in his country. His goal? To convince Iraq's neighbors to stop financing attacks and to stop the flow of foreign borders across their borders.

But more importantly, Iran, Syria, & the United States were all present at the meeting. The Bush Administration has long balked at the opportunity to talk to either Tehran or Damascus directly (apparently, diplomacy = appeasement in their books. I guess Nixon was a traitor when he went to China right?). Handshakes were exchanged between the delegations, but neither side engaged in direct one-on-one dialogue. As sad as it may sound, this brief meeting has been the highest level of interaction between the US and Iran in over 2 years.

Here at The RUNDOWN, we think its incredibly foolish for this Administration to continue shooting itself in the foot by refusing to talk to its enemies. If we are to find a viable exit strategy from this war, Iran with its heavy influence over Iraq's Shi'a, must be engaged. However, don't hold your breath folks. This president has given us little reason to believe that logic and reason will ever influence his policies.

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