The Bush administration's diplomacy

In action. "Well....We shook hands! What more do you want?":

So they went, shook hands and chatted briefly. And that was the sum of the direct interaction between American and Iranian delegates at a long-awaited, day-long regional summit on Iraq today in Baghdad.

Many observers had predicted that the gathering — organized by the Iraqi government to seek help stabilizing the country — would actually be more noteworthy as a meeting place for the U.S. and Iran, which have kept a chilly distance since the two severed ties after the 1979 Iranian revolution.

But in the end the two sides merely had a quick “meet and greet” and then exchanged remarks within the larger forum. U.S. and Iranian officials said there were no private conversations of any substance. The U.S. delegation had a slightly longer chat with the Syrians, U.S. officials said.