Posted on 06/23/2006 11:20:54 AM PDT by West Coast Conservative
Former Vice President Walter Mondale said Friday he supports a pre-emptive U.S. strike against a North Korean missile, saying the U.S. should tell North Korea to dismantle the missile or "we are going to take it out."
"I think it would end the nuclear long-range dreams of this dangerous country," said Mondale, who was the 1984 Democratic presidential nominee and a former U.S. ambassador to Japan.
The tensions are over North Korea's apparent preparations to test-fire a Taepodong-2 missile, which is believed to have a range of up to 9,300 miles. That would make it capable of hitting much of the U.S. mainland.
Mondale, 78, said North Korea already has nuclear weapons and its ambition to develop a long-range missile is "one of the most dangerous developments in recent history." It's so dangerous, he said, because of the nation's isolation from the international community and its unpredictable leader, Kim Jong Il.
"Here's this bizarre, hermit kingdom over there with a paranoid leader getting ready to test a missile system that can hit us," Mondale said.
Former President Clinton's defense secretary, William Perry, also advocated a pre-emptive strike in The Washington Post, but National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley brushed aside Perry's suggestion. Mondale spoke about a pre-emptive strike during an appearance on WCCO-AM in Minneapolis.
Mondale and President Jimmy Carter took office in 1976 and were defeated by Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980. Mondale lost as the Democratic presidential nominee in 1984. He was appointed ambassador to Japan in 1993 and is now practicing law in Minneapolis.
Walter Mondale??? Geez, that guy's like malaria; just when you think it's gone, ...
What? Doesn't he know he's a democrat?
Fritz the Hawk???? Even a broken clock is correct twice a day.
Should be ON The Washington Post........
Former Vice President Walter Mondale said Friday he supports a pre-emptive U.S. strike against a North Korean missile, saying the U.S. should tell North Korea to dismantle the missile or "we are going to take it out."
This guy is a lunatic. They've got the a-bomb. If you blow up their missile, they will blow up Seoul or perhaps Tokyo. Maybe even LA. Doesn't this guy understand the obvious? The damage has already been done. He's too late.
I remember Dennis Miller joking about Mondale doing an American Express commercial:
"Hi, remember me, Walter Mondale. A few years back I ran for President and got my ass stomped like a NARC at a biker rally..."
Not a real hawk. He's just suggesting one strike and thinking it would end their program. Of course it wouldn't, all it would do is make it so next time around NK does more of the final preps inside a building and more quietly so we don't find out until later.
You think they would say the same thing about Iran?
"Doesn't he know he's a Democrat?"
Not only that, but it was his boss, Jimmy Carter, who negotiated the peace treaty with North Korea and won the Emmy, er the Nobel, for doing so.
heheh.. I happen to agree with the strike btw.
....he will deny later he ever said that.....
All these Dems are believing their own spin about the Prez being "trigger-happy"... W will nail the missile *after* it is launched, AFAIK.
Did Carter and Mondale Cut & Run from Iran?
"Interesting how the pacifist dems can egg us on to acts of war, but not support the follow through."
That's an excellent analysis. For them, it's all about the issue.
Oh, well, I guess it's OK for Dubya to go ahead then....
Looks like the DUmocrats are hopeful that Bush will clean up the mess they left behind once again!
They hope to goad the President into striking North Korea so they can get the "BUSH = HITLER" headline.
Thank God Mondale went down to defeat.
We did'nt need intemperate,half crazy leaders then and we don't want them now.
Hey Fritz, let's wait and see if they can even ignite the thing. Then we'll shoot it down and see where they go next.
Seems to me that the DNC is having fringe Democrats making these statements. Sort of a "just in case" statement if something goes sour - such as, it launches, has a warhead; or it is fantastically successful; or we try to shoot it down and fail; etc..... Also, it could be a ploy to show that Dems are not "soft" on national security.
These idiots only bing attention to the failure of the Clinton administration. Keep talking morons.
LOL, Libs are so hawkish, as long as they aren't holding any elected office.
They say it now because they know no one will do it.
That way they pretend to be tough without taking any risks.
Actually, in the case of Seoul, they don't need a nuke.
They have 250,000 artillery tubes and missile rails pointed at it within range.
This is why we can't pre-emptive strike NK - unless we're willing to write off Seoul, South Korea, and everyone who lives there along with the SEA economy. Of course, the Dems know this and they know that our economy would suffer as well, so they're trying to get a preemptive strike to happen, IMHO.
If it can't be a Democrat that gets NK to agree to peace, they're willing to kill thousands or millions just so they can get back into power. They proved that in New Orleans, they're showing that now.
You mean like they did in Vietnam and the Iraq war?
You know this might not be popular but its time to think about this a little bit. I am not saying that a strike might not be necessary but this better be well, well, though out
I was watching Fox roundtable and other shows and they raised some issues.
This will be the first time the we have ever attacked a Nuclear Power. That should be appreciated. There could be some consequences here that could get out of control. With a closed Society as North Korea are we sure who is really in control, what factions are sharing powers and if indivduals there can control them.
I am sure the Bush admisnstration has their best minds on this but don't be suprised that we might have to suck this one up and proceed down other lines of engagement and stragety
>>Interesting how the pacifist dems can egg us on to acts of war, but not support the follow through.<<
Yeah... simply having a long range missile is not sufficient justification for an attack. If it were then we should attack a bunch of countries and they would all be entitled to attack us.
They sure are anxious for Bush to be the one to punch North Korea in the nose. Then they can sit back and trash him for starting WWIV.
Mondale spoke at my college commencement in 1982 in Tuscaloosa. All he talked about was what fields/professions we should go into. I swear he thought it was a high school graduation.
It's not a quarter million, but it is enough to reduce Soul to Grozney in hours.
Seems ol Bubba is always laughing at funerals. What a cavone!
There could a possibilty here that Bush is secret contact with this guys and they are working together. Bush might be very well asking them to make these statements to send cues to North Korea and too see their response. Having them make these statements in a public way and not from a offical agent of the US govt certaintly is helpful to gauge the situation without escalating the situation diplomatically. Its just a thought
I doubt Bush is using Walter Mondale as a bag man.
Back in the day, Fritz Mondale was a huge opponent of missile defense.
Well its just a thought. Despite Modale being a huge Dem he was the former Vice President and ambassador to Japan. It seems that his comments would get noticed. Perhaps I am naive but I have to think that a person like Mondale would have consulted someone before his made this statement.
Okay folks - I believe we have a winner!!!!!
This is exactly what the Dims are doing - proving how "tough" they are on security. Only problem is that most of us know how phoney it is and how quickly they'd run away with their tails between their legs if they actually were in charge of the country's security.
Don't forget - to Liberals history began this morning.
Plus Cuba, and the cold war in general. The loss of the Soviet empire is a great source of pain.
If a pre-emptive strike is launched and civilians are killed you will have all these same lefties screaming bloody murder about how Bush is the world's worst terrorist, the US is the true evil in the world, etc etc.
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