Loose cannon gives Obama a lesson(Kim:1, Obama:0)

The Australian ^

[maccaca]

THERE has been a battle of wills between North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il and US President Barack Obama. So far, Kim has won. - it also will have to acknowledge his extraordinary success in imposing his own reality, his personal paradigm, on the international system and on the US. ..

. It shows a complete failure of political imagination as to what the North Korean political culture really is. It is the same kind of mind that dominates the Obama White House. On May 12, Obama's special envoy on the Korean peninsula, Steve Bosworth, declared: "I think everyone is feeling relatively relaxed about where we are at this point in the process. There is not a sense of crisis." This could go down as one of the great ambassadorial dumb remarks of all time, indicating a disturbing detachment from reality.

.... To put it another way, Kim can predict Obama, but Obama cannot predict Kim. Obama is plainly a leader of the highest intelligence, with a calm temperament and a very good bedside manner. But sometimes he seems to think he can change the world with PR. Kim is teaching him that the world is a very intractable place. It is useful for the US to have good PR, but there are no serious problems that good PR alone will solve. Obama is deeply involved in the detail of his foreign policy. Yet he came to the presidency with no foreign policy experience and few settled or even articulated views on national security. His multi-volume autobiography is noteworthy for its lack of anything resembling foreign policy substance.

[HiTech RedNeck]

The K00mbaya pres__ent.

[stylin19a]

I wonder if Gates is still refusing to use the new missle defense monitoring system. Remember this from the april launch ?

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates refused to grant permission to U.S. Northern Command to use the nation's most powerful sea-based radar to monitor North Korea's recent missile launch. Why is this significant? Because the $900 million dollar system, known as SBX, is capable of detecting a baseball hit out of a ballpark from more than 3,000 miles away and provides unparalleled details of missile capabilities. The system is three to four times more powerful than all other radars in the missile defense inventory. If any system should have been used to monitor the launch it is SBX.

One explanation for Gates’ lapse in judgment is that the Administration was worried the repositioning of the floating radar system would be seen as provocative by North Korea and upset diplomatic efforts.

So, how's that going ?

[FlingWingFlyer]

You know you're a loser when this little wimp is cleaning your clock.

[Prokopton]

Obama is plainly a leader of the highest intelligence, with a calm temperament and a very good bedside manner.

Well, two out of three's not bad.

[DB]

Well clearly Chiahead just hasn't experienced Obama’s oratory up close and personal... When he does all will be well...

In an alternate universe maybe...

[dadgum]

“provocative” because we would be looking at the launch???

This administration has its collective head so far up its a$$, it cannot be described.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

I think maybe South Koreans would be more concerned about all this.

But for some reason they’re distracted:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C53KFubJRAE

[Rocko]

There’s nothing like Asian pop music bubblegum.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Hey it is Friday night after all. :)

[Rocko]

True, but it may take several discs of Caruso to get that song out of my head. ;’)

[Cringing Negativism Network]

I’m just trying to figure out the words.

Honest.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

OK I see it seems that video and my appreciation of it, ended this thread, sorry. Guess I stepped over the line - which I find myself sometimes doing as a confirmed (patriotic) libertarian on a conservative site. Sorry fellow FReepers.

I appreciate the fact, that has not so far caused any significant conflict. To the awesome and remarkably brave site owner, I say a heartfelt “thank you” for putting up with me as something of a troublemaker here, and my pledge is on the way this week. :)

My apologies for the breach of etiquette, which I probably should have avoided.

Just for the record - those ladies are 20 somethings.

(and I predict, the next Spice Girls)

Yaba-sae-yo. :)