I'm sure he would

Hat tip to Dan Froomkin for tipping me to Peter Baker and this glimpse into Cheney and his attitude to "negotiation":

Asked during a rare question-and-answer session after a speech to the World Affairs Council of Dallas-Fort Worth on Friday why the United States should invade countries such as Iraq and Iran rather than sit down and talk with their leaders, [Cheney] said he would be more than happy to talk with them -- on certain rather favorable terms.

"Well, I would love to have one giant peace conference, to see our adversaries come sit down on the other side of the table, and negotiate a treaty here -- like we did at the end of World War II onboard the USS Missouri -- and have the problem solved," he said, before going on to explain why he did not think that was possible.

Of course, the "treaty" signed on the Missouri was actually an instrument of "unconditional surrender" in which Japan agreed to "obey and enforce all proclamations, orders and directives" issued by the Supreme Allied Commander, Gen. Douglas MacArthur. If only Iran would be reasonable and agree to something like that, everything sure would be a lot easier.

Ah, yes. If only...