Hamstrung by Choice.

"This has constrained U.S. foreign policy in many damaging ways...The United States does not have effective diplomatic channels for managing the situation, much less resolving it." Former members of Bush administrations past and present criticize the Dubya White House for their complete lack of diplomatic avenues with Syria, Iran, the Palestinians, or anyone else that might be able to mitigate the current Middle East crisis. "As unattractive as they are, the Syrians are in a position to affect U.S. interests in Iraq and Lebanon...We should be having a broad-based dialogue with them -- not as a favor to them but as a favor to ourselves."