The White House Gets Neighborly in the Middle East

"I want just to thank you and others," the contrite Rice answered. "We've had conversations about the importance of doing this, and we've listened, and I want you to know that."

As it happens, the Bush administration chose to demonstrate its newfound tenderness on Spay Day USA, when the Humane Society encourages people to spay and neuter their pets. One floor down from the Rice hearing, Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.), a veterinarian by training, joined a cocker spaniel, a Jack Russell terrier, a golden retriever and other dogs at a news conference. "Getting your animal neutered will make a better pet," the senator announced. "Usually, they are a little more docile, friendlier."

Back in Foggy Bottom, Rice spokesman Sean McCormack still hadn't had his obedience training. He quarreled with reporters about his boss's decision to talk to Iran and Syria. "There's no change in our policy," he declared.

No? Just two days earlier, on "Fox News Sunday," Rice had reiterated her view that she would meet with Iran only if it "will suspend its [nuclear] enrichment and reprocessing activities." On Feb. 8, she testified to the Senate that "talking with Syria now about Iraq would have downsides for us in terms of Lebanon, in terms of what Syria would be looking for, in terms of how it would be perceived."

The downsides were less worrisome to Rice yesterday as she announced her "new diplomatic initiative" with Iran and Syria. On the Democratic side, Sens. Pat Leahy (Vt.) and Tom Harkin (Iowa) couldn't suppress smiles. On the Republican side, Sen. Larry Craig (Idaho) bit his thumb. Sen. Judd Gregg (N.H.) whispered with Sen. Robert Bennett (Utah). Sen. Richard Shelby (Ala.) sounded a note of skepticism. "Are you confident or are you just hopeful," he asked, "about your diplomatic initiatives, that they will bear fruit?"

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) detected a second wind for the recommendations offered by James Baker's and Lee Hamilton's Iraq Study Group. "The big, thick report seemed to me to disappear, and I didn't hear much about it. But as I've listened to the testimony today," he continued, "that seems to be consistent with what the administration is doing."

Gates, who only five weeks ago thought there was "not much advantage for us for engaging" with Iran, agreed. "Our participation in a conference involving Syria and Iran gets to the last major piece of Baker-Hamilton that had not been implemented in some measure."

Alexander wondered why the administration was only now "backing into some consistency with the Iraq Study Group."

Replied Gates: "I don't know the answer to that question."