Let's all sit down at the table, shall we? Did Shooter see god after that bomb went off? Did our Chinese banklords express displeasure? Did someone grow a brain in the White House? You make the call.

Feb. 27 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. diplomats will attend a conference on Iraq to which envoys from Iran and Syria are invited, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said at a Senate budget hearing today.

``We hope all governments will seize this opportunity to improve their relations with Iraq, and to work for peace and stability in the region,'' Rice told the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Iraq invited all neighboring countries to the conference next month, which is aimed at improving security in the country amid daily attacks on civilians. It would mark the first time the U.S. has sat with Iran and Syria to look at Iraq's future, an initiative that lawmakers and a bipartisan panel of American statesmen have sought.

Could be nuthin. Could be important. But gosh! I thought the Reality-makers didn't need to sit at the table with the Axis of Evil and do all that sissified yammering dirty hippies call "diplomacy."

Update: Steve gets his snark on:

Stay tuned. This just might be a beginning of a new, promising trend. But don't over-invest yet.

Not to be too snarky, it does seem remarkable that these kind of breakthroughs tend to happen when the Vice President is sidelined or flying off somewhere.

Not being snarky at all, this is at least the 10th time I've heard this.