Kerry -Engage with Syria, engage with Iraq.

[Mass]

http://www.playfuls.com/news_10_13592-Kerry-Bring-Iran-To-The-Iraq-Table.html

U.S. Sen. John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, says Iran must be "engaged" in any plan to bring stability to Iraq.

The Massachusetts senator's comments came Sunday on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" on ABC.

Kerry pointed out that the Iraq Study Group called for regional diplomacy.

"That means engage with Syria, engage with Iran," Kerry said. In addition, "every leader in the region and every observer, every expert here in our country tells us that Iran does not want a complete and total implosion in Iraq."

The Bush administration says it has conclusive proof Iran is supplying explosives that are killing U.S. troops in Iraq, but says it has no plans for a military confrontation. Kerry said Iran was doing "mischief" in Iraq, but Congress would be "skeptical" of the administration's pledge of no confrontation.

"You are a going to have a skeptical Congress and appropriately so because of the last experience with Iraq," Kerry said. "We need to ask tough questions. We will."

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[ginnyinWI]

1. on those Iranian explosives...

Michael Ware was on Blitzer today, and he said (somewhat scornfully) that this is old, old news. He said the administration "rolled out" three guys to paint a picture of an Iranian campaign--which by the way this is the same kind of thing we did to the Russians when they were in Afghanistan: we fought a war with them by proxy. But he said this Iranian explosive thing was being done in 2004 already, and was first reported in 2005.

Which begs the question: why all the publicity now?? It's been all over the news this weekend. I say it's about distraction from the real problem with Iraq, which is the fact that our troops are still there, which is preventing the Iraqis from having to get serious about political solutions, as Kerry said on This Week.