According to the UK newspaper Guardian, the Bush administration is about to send diplomats to IRAN. Yes, to the member of Axis of Evil (tm) which should never never be talked to. Especially if you are a Democrat.
More after the jump
After the White House anounced yesterday that they will send special envoy William Burns to Switzerland to join EU negotiators with Iran and to sit at the table, but not talk, with the Iranians - a remarkable development in its own - things get stranger by the minute.
(WaPo)
In a significant departure from long-standing policy, Undersecretary of State William J. Burns will join a scheduled meeting in Geneva between European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and top Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, according to a senior State Department official.
Burns, State's third-ranking official, will not negotiate with the Iranians nor hold separate meetings, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the decision had not yet been announced. Instead, Burns will advance the White House's position that serious negotiations can begin only after Iran suspends uranium enrichment.
Administration officials have long insisted that U.S. representatives would not join even preliminary discussions with Tehran until it stops enriching uranium -- a distinction that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has called counterproductive.
It's OK if you are a Republican.
Not only does Bush torpedoe McSames talking points, they even go a step further.
(Guardian)
The US plans to establish a diplomatic presence in Tehran for the first time in 30 years as part of a remarkable turnaround in policy by President George Bush.
The Guardian has learned that an announcement will be made in the next month to establish a US interests section - a halfway house to setting up a full embassy. The move will see US diplomats stationed in the country.
The news of the shift by Bush who has pursued a hawkish approach to Iran throughout his tenure comes at a critical time in US-Iranian relations. After weeks that have seen tensions rise with Israel conducting war games and Tehran carrying out long-range missile tests, a thaw appears to be under way.
Special Section? Embassy? Negotiations? By Bush&Co? WTF?