Should I be worried?

According to Fox News, we're about to have a sitdown with the insurgents in Iraq. Well, Prime Minister Maliki is, anyway.

Nouri al-Maliki’s government has asked insurgent leaders to send intermediaries to a national reconciliation conference, marking a new domestic drive to bring peace to Iraq.

I have to admit, when I first read this I was already getting fired up. We're negotiating with the enemy now? Then I read the following:

The summit will not include outside terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda. It will address the question of Shia militias, but controversial groups such as Al-Mahdi Army will not be included — because the Shia-led government believes that it can deal with them within its own communities.

That's at least one point of relief. At least we're talking about the sectarian violence and not the goat-molesting 12th century barbarians that are streaming across the border. I'm still worried that certain concessions will be made that won't bode well for the sovereignty of the new nation, as I can't imagine mere words will stop the fighting, or even abate it.

Mr. al-Hakim, an agricultural engineer who belongs to perhaps the most influential Shia party in the government — the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq — said he wants to intensify the dialogue with the Baathists.

Whoops. There goes my cautious optimism, flushed right down the toilet. Read over the name of that guy's party. Alright, now what other nation do you know of that experienced "Islamic revolution"? I'll give you a hint: it's lead by a genocidal madman with a penchant for brown coats and nuclear weapons.

I don't think I'd be hugely out of line by saying that this looks bad indeed.