U.S. intel should try to work with Iran

Since the new administration approach to any international issues is to work with the originators of the issue, this directive, being generic, takes an interesting twist when applied to spying.

President Barack Obama's choice for spy chief, Dennis Blair, said Thursday that U.S. intelligence agencies should seek ways of working with Iran on issues of mutual interest, underscoring the new administration's interest in engagement with elements in the Islamic state.

Frankly, I am discombobulated by this statement. How exactly it is going to work now? Does it mean that instead of all these spy satellites, listening stations, sneaking in the night over the borders and all the usual cloak and dagger stuff, there will be a new "working with" solution? Something like a CIA agent calling his counterpart in Iranian intelligence: "Hey, Hafiz, buddy, how it is going? Listen, I was asked to provide the boss - you know these brass heads in Langley, they never tire of requesting stuff and shit - the diagrams of your new rocket base, you know, under that souk in Bakhtaran? So in the spirit of cooperation and knowing that you should, like, work with us and vice versa, why don't you fax the stuff over? How much? Let me check with procurement... by the way, could we do a barter deal? - I'll get you the blueprints of our new submarine..."

Etc.

No, I remember that "we can" and all that, no questions about it...