[AmericanInTokyo]

My, how many times do we have to learn the hard way about Communism, negotiating, tactics in an Asian context, and showing signs of weakness or going overboard on the overstated "we will not invade" nonsense?

Thank you Colin Powell, as well as the minions of career State Department personnel, in power no matter if either a Democratic or Republican Administration.

Time for the State Department to step back, and for D.O.D. to drive the issue for the Administration.

[ex-Texan]

Time to bomb that reactor using everything in the weapons bag .... 'So, solly Cholie, you 'ruse ....'

[Destro]

DoD won't do a thing. North Korea called our bluff. Next time the idiots in the State Dept should learn that when they write words like "Axis of Evil" so they can sell the concept of pre-emptive wars to stupid soccer mom types they should know that it is a decleration of war and will be viewed as such by those we call evil. In other words be prepared to shoot when you draw your gun.

We drew our gun at North Korea and are afraid to pull the trigger.

This is a diplomatic debacle of the highest order.

[b4its2late]

Another heartfelt "thank you" is in order for the former clinton administration....

[OXENinFLA]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2008139

On the flip side. SK holds PRO-US demonstration

[Darksheare]

Pyongyank REALLY wants our attention, don't they?

[geedee]

Ya know, I'm more than a bit disappointed in GW. I've voted for him twice as Governor and once as President. But when I saw this story today I felt so betrayed I just couldn't stand it.

I've never emailed the White House or my Senators or Congressmen or any of that nonsense because most politicians have an IQ just one short notch above a turnip and they don't read individual complaints. My niece was an "intern" -- and no Monica-babe jokes -- for her Congressman.

One of her tasks was to compile a daily "Rap Sheet" -- that's what they called it -- listing percentages of positive and negative feedback and the way in which it was received. THEN the A$$HOLE had a grading curve added to it "so he could really feel the pulse of his constituents." Evidently, to him, us email complainers are one rung below the sh|tbug on Darwin's Evolutionary Ladder. Phone calls were graded as three times more important then emails and snail mail was valued twice as much. Then a final figure was given His Highness. He had no clue what his constituents were complaining about and us internet folks were less than human.

Sorry I got off track but politicians are really pi$$ing me off. Maybe I'm just too damn patriotic. But I puffed out my chest and felt proud again when GW said "you're either with us or agin' us." After enduring eight years of Pee Wee Clinton's public orgies, I felt the country had finally elected someone who could get us out of the immoral mess Pee Wee had bogged us down in. And when he said North Korea, Iran, and Iraq were an Axis of Evil . . . I believed him. And I just KNEW he would do something about it.

Now I'm starting to have doubts. His administration said we wouldn't talk to NK until they stopped all the nuclear madness. And I agreed with that. Paying blackmail only increased the likelihood of being blackmailed again in the future. Now we say we'll talk to NK anytime, anywhere.

And I'm just confused as hell. And mad as hell.

I emailed, called, and snail-mailed GW today . . . covering all the bases. I told him I didn't know my vote for him was a vote for the Colin Powell Administration.

And I hope I'm wrong. I thought I knew GW. I've been one of his most ardent supporters. But something just doesn't pass the smell test lately. Colin Powell, IMHO, is not the right person for Secretary of State when we're at war. I'm all for having differing views and all that but once the decision is made to go to war . . . I think everyone should be dancing to the same beat.

Colin Powell seems to think he's above all that. And if GW is going to let Powell take over his administration, he won't have my support.

I hope I'm wrong. God, I hope I'm wrong.

[stig]

When are conservatives going to learn that talk is cheap! We have not made the situation worse by trying talk down the NKs. If anything we have furthered our position with our allies at the same time we have bought time. If NK had any guts they would pour over the border now. This is just a cowardly trick to try to bluff the SKs and the Japanese into forking over some money. We are in no weaker or stronger position at this point for the overture. NK is banking that with the US concentrating on Iraq and because of all the anti-american peaceniks here in the US that we will not have the resolve for a conflict with them. They are sadly mistaken. Just as the Taliban thought they could just ignore us.

Since we're talking diplomacy here I think it's ironic that the Nobel commitee by awarding Carter the Nobel prize sent a message to these despots around the world, that the support for war against them is weak. Thereby helping the cause of war and undermining the purpose of award. We will look back and see that the pacificists by wanting to pacify the evil doers of the world are actually more to blame for the strife than those of us who support defending ourselves.

To me at this time there is no more anti-american thing you can do then to be against the United States defending itself. I remember one of the falsehoods during the vietnam war was that people would be more than willing to go fight if the United States had been attacked, but vietnam never attacked on US soil. Well, now we've been attacked and the cowards still don't want to fight.

[BaBaStooey]

North Korea Denounces U.S. After Talks Offer bomb em. Let's finish it by rolling them Douglas MacArthur style! China has democratic neighbors, they won't be threatened by a stable unified democratic Korea. In fact I bet they would be relieved.

[Argus]

"People do not think that there is going to be a war in the Korean peninsula," a Unification Ministry official told Reuters.

"I bring you peace in our time." Neville Chamberlain

[aristeides]

Would North Korea be acting this way if it did not have behind-the-scenes assurances from China and/or South Korea?

[MadIvan]

I believe it's time to suggest Bill Clinton be brought up on charges of treason. He gave the nuclear capacity to the North Koreans - as it turned out, the reactor that was supposedly just for energy generation turned out to be very poor at making electricty and very good at making plutonium for bombs.

And North Korea is willing to sell their bombs to the highest bidder. How many people are threatened by Clinton's foolishness and stupidity - how many will die in cleaning up this mess? The blood is on his hands. Let him suffer accordingly.

Regards, Ivan

[Paulie]

"My, how many times do we have to learn the hard way about Communism, negotiating, tactics in an Asian context, and showing signs of weakness or going overboard on the overstated "we will not invade" nonsense?"

My very first thought when I started to read this.

[Libertina]

showing signs of weakness or going overboard on the overstated "we will not invade" nonsense?
You are so correct (& right lol) Communists DISRESPECT Weakness! Perhaps the state department should hire you... BTW Thanks Bill Clinton & Jimmy Carter. /s

[TheBattman]

So, will anyone in the world stand up and notice that we actually made an honest attempt to negotiate? I guess it will all still be our fault....somehow....