Former SecDef: 'US faces war with N Korea this year'

The Daily Telegraph ^ | July 16, 2003 | Toby Harnden

[bruinbirdman]

America is heading for war with North Korea as early as this year because of mismanagement by the Bush administration, according to a former US Defence Secretary.

William Perry, who was Pentagon chief under President Bill Clinton, said that the White House was "losing control" of events now that Pyongyang appeared to have begun reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods.

Mr Perry said that North Korea would soon be testing nuclear warheads and that terrorists could buy the devices and use them against the US.

"I have thought for some months that if the North Koreans moved toward processing, then we are on a path toward war," he told the Washington Post.

"The nuclear programme under way in North Korea poses an imminent danger of nuclear weapons being detonated in American cities."

Mr Perry, who is widely respected in foreign policy circles, said he had reached his conclusions after speaking to White House officials, Roh Moo Hyun, the new president of South Korea, and senior Chinese officials.

His warning came as it emerged that North Korean officials told the Bush administration last week that they had enough plutonium for six nuclear weapons and would move swiftly forward with making them.

Scott McClellan, President George W Bush's press secretary, said: "North Korea has made a lot of claims in the past and it's not something at this time that we can confirm the accuracy of.

"We are continuing to seek a diplomatic solution."

Mr Perry has been closely involved in Korean policy debates since leaving the US government. Until recently, he had been publicly supportive of the Bush administration, arguing that the problem of North Korea's nuclear ambitions could be controlled.

"I held off public criticism because I had hoped that the administration was going to act on this problem," he said. He added that "time is running out and each month the problem gets more dangerous".

Proper talks with Pyongyang were very unlikely to happen. "My theory is the reason that we don't have a policy on this, and we aren't negotiating, is the president himself.

"I think he has come to the conclusion that Kim Jong Il [the North Korean leader] is evil and it is immoral to negotiate with him."

[Molly Pitcher]

FWIW...William Perry...

[theDentist]

Someone ought to remind the $^&%&^# that we wouldn't be worrying about nukes if his BOSS hadn't screwed the pooch and financed it!

[Domestic Church]

"William Perry, who was Pentagon chief under President Bill Clinton..."

Enough said! Will someone please tell William Perry to tie his shoelaces before he trips over his political baloney.

I guess the democrats are so desperate that they are trying to scare folks into voting for them.

[The Dude Abides]

Bring 'em on! Let's get this over with.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Perry overlooks the obvious Clinton-Red Chinese connection that has brought the NKs to their present strength.

[Williams]

Minus the criticism of Bush, he is right. We need to take North Korea out if this continues. It is not Bush's fault, it is just reality. Unfortunately, to guarantee effectiveness we may need to go all out. A very unattractive situation but far better than radioactive America.

[Bikers4Bush]

"William Perry, who was Pentagon chief under President Bill Clinton..."

I stopped reading after that, there was no point in finishing the article.

[h-roark]

what does FWTW mean?- that's a new one on me

[angkor]

Is Perry suggesting that we continue to pay blackmail to NK?

[Domestic Church]

The Bush Whitehouse is far more ready to deal with NK than the Clintons were...the Bush team are just quiet about it. The situation there has not been ignored by a long stretch.

[ClearCase_guy]

When we were gearing up to attack Iraq, the liberals said, "North Korea is much worse! N Korea actually has nukes! If you really want to rid the world of dangerous regimes, why don't you leave Iraq alone and attack NK instead?"

Now the Liberals think we may attack North Korea and they say, "You blew it! Your mismanagement is going to get us into a war with (gasp) North Korea! Don't you realize they have nukes?? Why don't you negotiate? Do you think they're "evil" or something?"

[ASA Vet]

For What That's Worth

[h-roark]

Thanks, now all I need to know is what does "ASA Vet" mean?- can't figure ou the ASA part

[BOBTHENAILER]

"I held off public criticism because I had hoped that the administration was going to act on this problem," he said. He added that "time is running out and each month the problem gets more dangerous".

He further added, "If we don't bribe them now with millions of gallons of fuel oil, hundreds of millions of dollars of food so they can feed their military, tons of razor wire so they can build more gulag prisons for dissenters; dozens of bulldozers so they can more easily bury those they execute or starve to death, then we are in for a dire outcome".

"Now, under my former boss William Jefferson Clinton, we had the N. Korean genie "in a box", thanks to the deft diplomacy of Madeline Allbright".

"How were we to know that those basically honest N. Koreans would cheat on us and go ahead and build nukes?"

ALL THE RATS ARE COMING OUT OF THE WOODWORK!!!!!

[rj45mis]

"I held off public criticism because I had hoped that the administration was going to act on this problem," he said."

You have to read between the lines. He is saying that the time is right to cast all blame on Bush and his administration. The libs just keep piling on in hopes of swaying opinion enough to topple Bush in 2004. We won't let that happen!

[DoctorMichael]

"I have thought for some months that if the North Koreans moved toward processing, then we are on a path toward war," he told the Washington Post.

Yea, thanks a$$hole for leaving the next administration holding the bag and having to clean up the mess you left.

[Renegade]

We can win this one in 30 days also and add another notch to
" W's" belt.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

ALL THE RATS ARE COMING OUT OF THE WOODWORK!!!!!

Yes, and there has to be a motive behind it!

The media is doing the talking points of the Dems and nothing else!

What are the Dems trying to obscure????

[Turbodog]

16 words = feeding frenzy.

William Perry says US heading to war with N. Korea because of no policy.

Democrats on Capitol Hill say Bush has no N. Korean policy.

I smell a rat.