This is the kind of gobbledygook that ends up coming out of the mouths of those who pretend not to negotiate while negotiating:

The signal that we are sending, that we fully support the track that Iran could take for a better relationship with the international community, is one that the United States stands fully behind.

Condoleezza Rice served up that baffling word salad today in defense of State Department official William Burns’s trip to engage in multi-party talks with Iran. But even the gibberish about signaling that we support what could happen, etc. is better than this:

Asked whether the decision to send Burns was inspired by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s call for Washington to speak directly with Iran, Rice avoided answering the question directly.

In fairness to the Secretary of State, this is Reuters reporting, and the idea that Barack Obama is now giving the State Department its marching orders is a little far-fetched.

Isn’t it?