The newspapers this weekend had stories–broadly confirmed by Rumsfeld–about the US talking with elements of the insurgency. This is a good thing. As more Sunnis join the political process, it will pull fence-sitters and fringes of the insurgency toward the political process too. We want to encourage that, while drawing some red lines that keep us from talking to the Zarqawis. The model is how we dealt with Sadr in the south. We alternately banged on him militarily and negotiated with him, until through a messy compromise we got him to join the political process and end his revolt. If anything remotely comparable can happen with the Sunni part of the insurgency, it will be a huge step ahead.