As Powerline points out, this could come as nothing, but it is also worth hoping and praying there is truth to this. "U.S. in Secret Talks with Iraqi Insurgents":
U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers are conducting secret talks with Iraq's Sunni insurgents on ways to end fighting there, Time magazine reported on Sunday, citing Pentagon and other sources.
The magazine cited a secret meeting between two members of the U.S. military and an Iraqi negotiator, a middle-aged former member of Saddam Hussein's regime and the senior representative of what he called the nationalist insurgency.
"We are ready to work with you," the Iraqi negotiator said, according to Time.
Iraqi insurgent leaders not aligned with al Qaeda ally Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi told the magazine several nationalist groups composed of what the Pentagon calls "former regime elements" have become open to negotiating. The insurgents said their aim was to establish a political identity that can represent disenfranchised Sunnis.
Powerline also points out that this story SoCalPundit posted over the weekend seems to lend credit to the idea that the Baathist Insurgency is weakening.
UPDATE: Radio host and fellow blogger, Eric Hogue advises caution when dealing with terrorists. He writes in today's OneRepublicBlog:
Careful here...
Remember our 'rule of thumb' on the morning show; terrorists want one end result - they want to be seen as legitimate political factions by forcing their seat at the table through terrorism.
When the civilized world recognizes terrorists and terrorism as a form of political speech - we are all doomed for destruction. When the civilized world offers terrorists and terrorism a 'seat at the table' in diplomacy, the war against terrorism is lost.
If diplomacy 'happens', every time there is a political demand by the 'terrorists' after this threshold, they will opt for violent terrorism in order to force the diplomacy - and they will have a "diplomatic precedent" to refer to; then the socialists, the 'realists', the liberals and the Europeans and the United Nations will force the United States and Israel to compromise.
I'm initially not liking what I'm reading here...maybe there's more to the story than what TIME is reportering here. I pray so.
UPDATE: I wrote to Eric about his post and said this:
I share your skeptical position. However.....
I believe it is worth noting that the "terrorists" we are negotiating with are not the Jihadists sent by Al Qaida to wage holy war. We are (I believe) speaking to the former Saddam-ites who have grown weary of this fight. Indeed, the REAL terrorists, the Islamofacists of the bin Laden variety can not and must not be negotiated with. To do so would, as you say, only lead to the legitimization of their cause and thus their way of "protesting".
Regards,
Kevin D. Korenthal - SoCalPundit
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