A negotiated failure

By Creature

WaPo:

The Bush administration will send a senior envoy this weekend to international talks with Iran about its nuclear program in what U.S. officials described as a "one-time deal" designed to demonstrate a serious desire to negotiate a solution to the impasse over Tehran's ambitions.

Color me skeptical. This move is designed for failure. A negotiated failure that would provide cover for this:

President George W Bush has told the Israeli government that he may be prepared to approve a future military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities if negotiations with Tehran break down, according to a senior Pentagon official.

On the less skeptical side, they are sending Undersecretary of State William J. Burns. Burns was responsible for the recent North Korea breakthrough and has been a constant thorn in the side of Dick Cheney, John Bolton, and their neo-con pals (always a good thing). That being said this could be the quid pro quo Cheney was looking for, maybe from Burns himself, after having relented on North Korea. Which puts me back on skeptical footing and wondering if this "one-time deal" is designed to fail and designed to provide we-did-all-we-could cover for the bombing of Iran to begin.

(Cross-posted at State of the Day.)