The announcement that the U.S. will attend a conference in Iraq that includes Iran and Syria has observers complaining Bush's foreign policy is giving them whiplash.

Even if taken as an abrupt course correction — which the White House denies — whiplash is not so terrible, considering the alternative.

Only a few short weeks ago, Bush was saber-rattling on the issue of Iran, calling for U.N. sanctions. Now American, Syrian and Iranian diplomats will discuss calming violence in Iraq. The March 10 "neighbors meeting" is being cast as an Iraqi initiative; a conference that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will convene, and part of the plan to have Iraq gain its footing in the diplomatic, political and military arenas.

If the administration had planned all along to make diplomacy part of the effort to salvage its regional strategy, it's been badly articulated in the "new" game plan.

Less than two months ago, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reiterated a refusal to engage Iran and Syria diplomatically under current conditions, with rhetoric growing increasingly hostile ever since.

To now say that this was about ensuring the U.S. would negotiate from a position of strength is disingenuous. It's more likely that Bush and his advisers have assessed what pragmatically can be accomplished in the two years left in his term and decided it's time the hawks gave some ground.

Whatever the case, this can only be good news. Efforts to improve relations with Iran and Syria are key to stabilizing the region, a critical component of any plan for peace.