...it's not dark yet, but it's gettin' there...
President Bush vows to pursue more diplomacy.
In related news, Annika takes two aspirin.
Developing.
Update: As always, I recommend you check out The Princess.
Back in 1994, we made a deal with their devil to allow them to seek out "enrichment" and nuclear technology--even to assist them in building reactors--so long as they made the Scouts Honor promise to use it for good and not for evil. We agreed to lift the sanctions that the government said was "harming" their population beyond repair, to the point where children and families were starving in the streets. We assumed that they would collapse as a government long before this moment, when a bomb equivalent to 15,000 tons of TNT explodes underground. We gave them plenty of money, plenty of resources, engaged in talks with them as though they were a legitimate nation, like Germany or England, and all the while, they understood our motivations and secured themselves agains that. We were the stupid ones; they wouldn't let their regime fail, and they would certainly not allow our money to go to the projects we had designated. Instead, the international community, lifted the sanctions on their end, poured money into a nuclear program, and the results? A nuclear bomb, and a starving people. One step ahead for them, one giant step back, for us.And Tammy Bruce says what's on my mind:
Many are suggesting this emerging situation reminds people of President Bush's strength, or at least will increase his approval numbers. I suppose this is because his numbers go up when we get a reminder that Radical Islamists are still out there and want to kill us. I'm not so sure that's the case here--what this situation actually reminds me of is the failure of the Bush administration to properly deal with North Korea. Yes, the Norks established their nuclear program under Clinton . . . but President Bush has now had six years to deal with it, and not[h]ing has been accomplished.Yes, Bush's Korean effort has been a failure but don't start thinking that Kerry's unilateral fetish would have produced a different outcome. I think Madeline Albright proved the ultimate value of that nice piece of paper signed by a tyrant after successful unilateral negotiations.
A,
The Koreabloggers to check out are (1) The Marmot's Hole and (2) The Lost Nomad. You might also want to drop by The Korea Liberator, which really should be on everyone's blogroll.
Kevin
Hell, you can make a good case that our Korea-policy went South when Ridgeway replaced MacArthur.
Posted by: Casca on Oct. 9, 2006What's the stick that we could have used over the past 6 years? Clinton et al fucked us in the 90's, and I don't know what could have been done after that screw job. The U.N. has been unwilling to do anything - (well the Chinese have been unwilling to do anything.) Will that change? What are we going to do - sanctions so all their people can starve. The Dog Eater doesn't care if his people starve anyway.
Watch the MSM try to resurrect the Clinton's again. They give us the problem, but somehow the MSM will manage to blame Bush. Count on it. In the next couple of weeks, the stupidest person ever to hold the office of Sec of State, Madeleine Albright, will be held up as an "expert." Every time you see her lips move remember that Barbara Boxer is probably brighter.
Posted by: blu on Oct. 9, 2006BREAKING NEWS:
HILLARY BLAMES BUSH FOR N. KOREAN NUCLEAR TEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: blu on Oct. 9, 2006I'm pretty sure Nippon still has some old topos and grid overlays. All they need is an overhaul of their constitution and...........
They're by no means an Asiatic Israel, who we can count on to take the DPRK's program out, but the last thing China wants is for N.K. to prompt a massive remilitarization of the 2nd largest and most technologicaly advanced Asian economy.
There's a good chance that could happen and China may decide to pull the reins on that little Gargoyle....at least temporarily.
Posted by: Jasen on Oct. 9, 2006See, that's the beauty of it. President Bush isn't actually on the ballot. Kim and the Iranian Mullahs love Bush because he's done so much to enhance their international stature and their domestic support.
But the testing this close to an election leaves the president in office, while neutering him politically. A best case scenario.
I despise the Democrats, but arguing that you need Republicans in office because the last six years have brought you a nuclear North Korea is a laughably difficult case to make. Besides, Mark Foley is more than enough bad news for the GOP right now.
Kim is nuts, but he's still pretty smart. After all, he's managed to play his neighbours, all more powerful than himself, off of each other for years.
And now we might just find out that President Bush isn't the only one capable of affecting regime change.
Posted by: skippystalin on Oct. 9, 2006