It isn’t especially useful to focus on whether talking to our enemies “punishes” them or “legitimizes them”–PR matters, as it were. The real question is whether it distracts us from taking more effective measures by creating a false impression of progress. (“Ah–a dialogue is in place: things will work out!”) This would be a more interesting debate if Lehrer were pressing them on what they think we ought to do when the diplomatic option with Iran, for instance, fails (as indeed it already has).