At one time is was "you are with us or with the terrorists."

Now one of the nations often considered a part of the Axis of Evil, a known state sponsor of terrorism, will be permitted to attend the Annapolis Peace Conference as an equal -- with no renunciation of terrorism as a weapon against Israel.

Syria announced Sunday that it would attend the Middle East peace meeting beginning here Monday night, joining Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arab League participants in a turnabout that represented a victory for the Bush administration.

Syria, a supporter of groups opposed to a Palestinian peace with Israel, said it would send a deputy foreign minister to the meeting, which will continue on Tuesday in Annapolis, Md. In return, Syria was promised that Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights, taken from Syria in the 1967 war, would be on the agenda.

The Annapolis meeting, a major initiative pressed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, will begin negotiations on a peace treaty to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while simultaneously committing Israel and the Palestinians to carry out long-postponed obligations contained in the first stage of the 2003 peace plan known as the road map.

The presence of major Arab countries, now including Syria, is meant to provide Arab sanction and support for the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to make the concessions required for peace. The Arabs promise Israel that a comprehensive peace will mean their recognition of the Jewish state. But a comprehensive peace must also include a resolution on the Golan Heights.

Until the Arabs recognize Israel and promise to end the campaign of Jew-killing, there should be no peace talks. And there should certainly be no talks that include terrorists and their sponsors. It appears that this administration is headed down the same road as the Clinton Administration did in 2000 -- seeking a legacy at all costs, even at the expense of America's closest ally in the Middle East. What a shameful betrayal of both principle and friendship.

More At Michelle Malkin, Tel-Chai Nation