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Wrong:

An Iranian offer to help the United States stabilize Iraq and end its military support for Hezbollah and Hamas was turned down by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in 2003, a former top State Department official told the British Broadcasting Corp.

The U.S. State Department was open to the offer, which came in an unsigned letter sent shortly after the American invasion of Iraq, but Cheney nipped the deal in the bud, Lawrence Wilkerson, former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's chief of staff, told BBC's Newsnight in a program broadcast Wednesday night.

"We thought it was a very propitious moment to (strike the deal)," Wilkerson said, "But as soon as it got to the White House, and as soon as it got to the vice president's office, the old mantra of 'We don't talk to evil' ... reasserted itself."

In return for its cooperation, Tehran asked Washington to lift its sanctions on the country and to dismantle the Mujahedeen Khalq, an Iranian opposition group which has bases in Iraq. Iran also offered to increase the transparency of its nuclear program, according to Wilkerson.

Given that Iran provided us extensive support during our invasion of Afghanistan, this is actually quite odd. What possible harm would this have done to have continued talking to them? In exchange for an end to sanctions they would have opened up their nuclear program and ended military support for both Hamas and Hezzbollah. Are you kidding me? I mean, it would be one thing if not talking to them had produced similar results. But it has obviously done nothing of the sort.

The consistency with which this administration is wrong really is shocking. And not just wrong, but really, really wrong.