Why "Talking" Won't Get the Job Done

So Iran is "calling" for talks with the United States. The American left, laboring under the delusion that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can be won over by the right combination of honeyed words, will no doubt be delighted.

But here, courtesy of Michael Rubin and Danielle Pletka, is a reality check:

Despite the Iranian government's unified commitment to forge ahead with the nuclear program, some Western observers persist in their belief that the Islamic Republic is searching for a graceful way back from the brink. They point to mounting economic hardship inside Iran and a backlash against President Ahmadinejad's demagoguery. Couldn't engagement empower his critics?

This makes no sense. Dialogue and the attendant relaxation of U.N. sanctions will strengthen and validate the Ahmadinejad regime.