Because why should dozens of political assassinations in the service of a geopolitical power grab be allowed to get in the way of hope and change?

The U.S. government will send an ambassador to Syria after a four-year hiatus as President Barack Obama moves to improve ties between the two countries, a State Department official said on Wednesday... [T]he official said. "This is in line with the president's desire to engage Syria diplomatically to resolve a number of issues of concern to the United States." The State Department official said the process was in its "very early stages" and the administration had not yet selected who it may nominate to fill the post...

Washington withdrew its ambassador from Syria in 2005 to protest the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. Syria denies any involvement in the killing. A U.N. investigation into the assassination initially implicated several Syrian and Lebanese officials, but later reports have been more circumspect. A special U.N. tribunal set up to try suspects in Hariri's killing began work in The Hague in March.

Actually TIME reported last March that Obama might shield Syrian officials from the Hariri tribunal. Because bringing them to justice for the murder would presumably get in the way of "resolving a number of issues of concern." I was under the impression that Syria's continued interference in Lebanon was one of our central issues of concern, but apparently it's not as important as explaining to Assad that the US will back him against Israel.

And just for the record, because every time Obama makes one of these gambits the pretexts churned out by academics and diplomats are the same: Congressional Democrats and Obama envoys have been reaching out to Assad for months with no tangible. The talks haven't peeled him away from Iran. They haven't moved him from his absurd conditions on an Israeli peace deal. And they haven't even gotten him to lighten up a little on human rights. So those "issues of concern" are presumably off the table.

But hey, now that the IAEA has found even more proof of a Syrian nuclear program - maybe we can talk about that. Diplomacy's been working so well in North Korea and Iran.

References and previously after the jump...