Few early Biden administration decisions would be as controversial as the rumored selection of Robert Malley as chief envoy for Iran talks. Code Pink has come to his defense, as has the Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic Party. Conservatives point out that Iranian regime officials also appear to celebrate Malley’s name being in the mix.

On paper, Malley is eminently qualified. He serves as head of the International Crisis Group, is an alum of both the Clinton and Obama administrations, and was a Rhodes Scholar. Make no mistake: I disagree with Malley on almost all issues relating to Iran and the Middle East, and I criticized his approach in my history of U.S. diplomacy with terrorist groups. Still, there are few people in Washington as generally kind, classy, and intelligent as Malley. His supporters, of course, are also right to point out that elections matter.