Surrender now, talks later

Marc Grossman, the special US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan that Pakistan isn't will to talk to as of yet, says that for talks to start with the Taliban, the Taliban must renounce ties to terrorism.

Since the Taliban are labeled a terrorist organization by the US, the Taliban must thus renounce ties to themselves. The only way I can see to do that is to disband. So disband your organization, and then we'll talk to it.

This is probably just posing on Mr. Grossman's part, the administration needs to sound as bloodthirstily stupid as the Republican field, no mean feat. It does mean that there can't be meaningful talks until after the election, and the US, not the Taliban, changes its positions.