Good news on US policy in Iraq?(with Poll)

According to Juan Cole and, apparently Robert Dreyfuss, the United States government's neo-con ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, is seeking to enter into negotiations with many of the insurgents in Iraq as well as the Iranian government. This, according to Juan Cole "suggests a new pragmatism by the Bush administration in Iraq. These policies sound more like traditional State Department policies, and not at all like the kind of hard line that the civilian leadership of the Defense Department keeps pushing."

According to The Daily Times

"We are reaching out to everyone but two groups: the Zarqawi group and associated forces who are jihadists... and the Saddamists. Those who want Saddam Hussein to return," Khalilzad said.

Khalilzad gave no details of the groups he hoped to negotiate with, but indicated they were of the minority Sunnis who feel excluded from the political process in Iraq.

He added that other governments in the region had been crucial in making contacts with the insurgents.

"If we want an Iraq that works we need to bring the Sunnis into the political process," he said.

"We have in recent periods sought the help of countries, Sunni Arab countries to facilitate that, to encourage that," he said.

"I believe you cannot win the kind of conflict we are facing by military means alone... You need to have an integrated approach that wins populations over," Khalilzad said.

Iran has since signaled that it is not interested in talking  to the US, possibly sensing weakness in its sworn enemy:

Iran has no plans to negotiate with the United States to help make Iraq safe after U.S. troops start leaving, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Wednesday.

'Negotiating with America is not on our agenda or programme,' he told a news conference via a translator.

While it is unclear whether or not Zalmay Khalilzad's efforts will reap any immediate rewards it is possibly a sign of some intelligent life in The White House.

The Bush administration may be afraid to admit their mistakes but are they learning from them?

Meanwhile, according to The Herald an influential Sunni clerical group that has previously secured the release of western hostages in Iraq has called for the release of the 5 western hostages being held in Iraq.