The Bush administration pulled the U.S. ambassador out of Syria in 2005 to protest the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, in which Syrian intelligence officers allegedly had a hand.

The Obama administration, continuing its policy of engagement with US adversaries, is close to sending an ambassador back. (Syria was not a charter member of Bush's "Axis of Evil," but it some times got included under that moniker by association).

Syria's foreign minister said Wednesday in Damascus that Washington has forwarded a name for consideration. (By diplomatic tradition, the host country has to give its okay to the person in question). State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley confirmed this as well, although he wouldn't give a name.

But our colleague Laura Rozen over at Politico reported on Saturday that the likely nominee is career diplomat Robert S. Ford. Ford is an Arabist who served as U.S. ambassador to Algeria, and later as the political counselor at US Embassy Baghdad during the ugly years of 2004-2006.

Middle East peace must be at hand. Or maybe not. Washington still has lots of issues with Syria, including its close ties to Iran, involvement in Lebanon and use of its border as a transit point for Sunni militants and explosives headed into Iraq.