Kerry's revisionism on Korea

Over the past year, John Kerry and his surrogates have repeatedly attempted to suggest that the Clinton administration made significant progress in dealing with the North Korean nuclear weapons threat, and that all of this is being undone by the Bush administration. During the first presidential debate, for example, Mr. Kerry suggested that, thanks to the policies of the Clinton administration, "We had inspectors and television cameras in the nuclear reactor in North Korea. [Kerry adviser and former Defense Secretary] Bill Perry negotiated that under President Clinton. And we knew where the fuel rods were. And we knew the limits on their nuclear power." Because of President Bush's policy toward North Korea, Mr. Kerry says, the regime now has between four and seven nuclear weapons. Kerry advisers like Richard Holbrooke have also said that Mr. Bush is jeopardizing all of the hard-won progress the Clinton administration made with North Korea.

"Kerry advisers like Richard Holbrooke have also said that Mr. Bush is jeopardizing all of the hard-won progress the Clinton administration made with North Korea."

Progress? What progress?

The agreement that Slick signed with the NKoreans promised that the US would provide them with oil, food, and assistance with establishing a nuclear power generation program. NK in return "promised" to stop weapons research and promised to allow monitoring cameras in at least some of their nuke facilities.

Food, oil, cash, etc. poured into NK and soon the cameras were merely turned off and weapons research continued unhindered, and unmonitored.

Only when GWB traded broken promises for broken promises (and it was still a lopsided trade in favor of the NKs) did all hell break loose!

Either Clinton didn't know of the violations (and if you beleive that, I know of a bridge...) or just ignored them. After all, they had "promised," that closed the door on that "issue" and it was time to move on to other causes. After all, no one would ever lie to Lord Bill (consummate liar that he was) would they?

I've said it before and I'll say it again: May RR's words "Trust but verify" haunt Clinton to his grave. It won't happen, of course since he has no conscience but one can always hope, can't one?

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