Lurch Meets the Chinless Ophthalmologist

I know, it sounds like some sort of horror flick. And, well, it is.

Here you have the failed former presidential candidate picking up where Nancy Pelosi left off: sucking up to a leader of a terrorist state that allowed killers of our troops into Iraq.

Refresh me if I'm incorrect, but isn't this Hillary Clinton's job?

The United States and Syria are exploring the possibility of better relations after years of tension—but questions remain over just how much common ground exists between the two.

In a sign that President Barack Obama may be seeking better ties, several U.S. congressmen have passed through Syria in the last few days, including Sen. John Kerry, who arrived Saturday and met with President Bashar Assad.

The State Department also announced Friday it has scheduled a meeting next week with Syria's ambassador to the U.S. to discuss differences between the two countries—the first such meeting in months.

U.S.-Syrian relations have long been tense. Damascus' support for the militant organizations Hamas and Hezbollah has drawn the ire of Washington, which has also accused Syria of allowing foreign fighters to cross into Iraq. Syria, which staunchly opposed the 2003 invasion, insists it is doing all it can to safeguard its long, porous border.

Relations soured further when the Bush administration pulled the U.S. ambassador out of Syria in 2005 to protest Syria's suspected role in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Damascus denied involvement in his death, but in the uproar that followed, it was forced to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, ending a 29-year military presence.

The congressional delegations, led by Democrats, are carrying the message that America wants to engage countries it has been at odds with if they are willing, as Obama puts it, to unclench their fists.

So far all Obama has gotten is a series of clenched fists upside his head.