Reason for optimism?

If nothing else, Rich Coleman deserves credit for looking on the bright side now that softwood lumber talks have (predictably) gone nowhere:

B.C. Forests Minister Rich Coleman, whose province accounts for half of Canadian softwood lumber exports to the United States, said he was encouraged another meeting has been tentatively set for Aug. 22 in Ottawa.

But based on a report from B.C. delegates at the Washington session, it's clear the Americans didn't come prepared to talk, he said.

While I admire Coleman's effort to find a bright side, I'm not sure that more meetings where the U.S. refuses to talk are necessarily the best means of making a deal. Unless Coleman is counting on their being so bored about saying nothing that they'll sign a new deal just to avoid further non-talks.

Come to think of it, that may not be any less productive than the past strategy to deal with this mess.