Should US officials talk with Iranian government officials?

An article in Newsweek magazine explored this past week the issue of whether United State governmental officials should begin to talk with difficult governmental leaders such as Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  The article, written by an ex-Bush official, discussed how McCain and Palin steadfastly pledge not to talk with the Iranian government while Obama believes that it would be in America's best interest to open lines of communication with Iranian governmental leaders. McCain called Obama "naive" for believing that honest communication with Iranian leaders would be beneficial and Palin has attacked Obama for having what she described as "bad judgement" for his opinion of open and honest communication.  The reporter in this article sides with Obama, stating that he believes that Iran is a powerful world force in the Middle East and cutting communication would be harmful to our country in the long run. He cites former Presidents such as John Kennedy and Richard Nixon for their policies in remaining on good terms with our enemies. He believes that we need to enter into a smart strategy of "engagement" with the rest of the world in order to provide for a positive and prosperous future for our country.

Positive relations with the country of Iran is extremely important to the United States government because Iran is currently developing a nuclear-weapon program that would change the balance of power in the Middle East.  The Iranian government also funds terrorist groups that target the United States and our allies.  By opening lines of communication, we would be taking steps towards avoiding the possibility of a third world war with Iran. This reporter believes that if we don't begin to talk with the Iranian government, we will be forced to take military action in the future.

I believe that the author of this article is extremely on target.  While the government of Iran now imposes strict controls on the media and journalists, I believe that there is a chance that open lines of communication with the United States could work to break down those controls.