Blowing Smoke

This weekend, it was reported that North Korea detonated *something* last week that allegedly produced a smoke plume in the shape of your basic mushroom. And, right on cue, comes Senator Kerry with something nonsensical.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites) accused the Bush administration of letting a "nuclear nightmare" develop by refusing to deal with North Korea (news - web sites) when it first came to office.

In a telephone interview with The New York Times, published on its Web Site late Sunday, Kerry said the current fear that North Korea may be preparing to test a plutonium bomb was a consequence of President Bush (news - web sites)'s preoccupation with Iraq (news - web sites).

Aren’t you forgetting something, Senator?

Two presidents belonging to your party tried to appease the North Koreans by bribing them into halting their nuclear aspirations. Well, the money got transferred and spent, the oil got used, the food got eaten—presumably by very few average North Koreans--but the cessation didn’t happen. The North Korean government may not be too up on feeding its “constituents” or developing its economy, but they certainly know a couple of marks when they see them.

These are the results of negotiating with a basket-case states with nuclear capability; terrorists, by another other name. As is so with Islamist terror, President Bush must also clean up after the botched policies offered in this area by leaders of your party, Senator. However, you and your party are not one in the same. So, since we know from observation that appeasement doesn’t work on madmen, it would please us, the American voting public, to know what your third way might be.

Oh. Never mind.

Asked about how he would handle the threat of a North Korean nuclear test if he became president, Kerry replied that the issue would likely have to be taken to the United Nations (news - web sites) Security Council.

So let me see if I have this straight. President Bush is “bad” because he “refuses” to deal with the North Koreans and hands the situation off to the regional players (the PRC, Japan and South Korea), but your way is “good” because you’d hand the situation off to the UN Security Council?

I suspect that anything that just a little too tough for John Kerry to handle would be punted to the UN. If that doesn't freeze your blood, then nothing will.

Comments

[StinKerr]

The most important factor in any negotiation with NKorea is China. They have propped the regime up since the end of WW2 and are the only ones who can hold their feet to the fire in any negotiations.

Our administration sees this and has deftly included China in the negotiations for that very reason. The other regional powers, even the Russians who have a long history of support for NKorea, are pretty much window dressing.

We're still living with the last U.N. solution to Korea fifty years later.

If I can see this why can't Kerry?

[T-Steel]

Because Kerry and Co. only see kickin' Bush's azz as the issue INSTEAD of thinking before they say something. He didn't need to comment at all.

This is the messed-up thing about American politics now: you focus on the immediate fight and not the big picture. Both parties do this. I hate to sound like a downer but there are other problems facing this nation just as bad or worse than terrorism like our extremely old power grid (an unpowered America is an EXTREMELY unsafe place). But we won't hear about that because the two "boxers" are slugging it out to win the round, not the entire fight.

[StinKerr]

You have a point, T-Steel. I'm still waiting for comments from Kerry about the Beslan atrocity. I suppose dubya couldn't be blamed for that.

The existing power grid is in the hands of private enterprise. I'm aware of government regulations, particularly certain states, which stand in the way of new power plants being bult but the grid itelf is owned by corporations.

I don't really want to get government into subsidies to the electric companies or transmission grids. They should be able to maintain and expand it themselves. They have protected monopolies and state mandated rates to fund this. My neighbors and I are still paying for a muclear power plant that couldn't pass inspection and got turned into a coal burning power plant.

[StinKerr]

Oops, I meant 'nuclear'. Dan Rather bumped my elbow. Yeah, that's it. He has been sooooo touchy about typing lately.

PIMF

Couldn't pass inspection or was not allowed to pass?

I do not know which plant you are refering to, but am curious.

[Carridine]

Friends,
I'm no EX-Spurt on North Korea, but I have been keeping an eye on it since I devoted years of my young life to holding the line against Communism, working on mountaintops JUST south of the DMZ twixt the countries.

And so you don't think I was 'just' a grunt, (God bless our 'grunts') please understand that I was trained to speak and comprehend Korean. Including North Korean.

So I did about 10 hours a day of listening to that xenophobic, Communist-Stalinist, elitist/classless nation. I listened helplessly as people scrounged for acorns, to stay alive after yet ANOTHER flood...

Their centralized government couldn't keep their Peoples' Paradise percolating!

I listened and watched as their soldiers attacked our MPs on the DMZ, hacking to death several of our troops with axes and shovels!

There is NO parallel nation to North Korea, nor has it any parallel in history. It is such a twisted, starving, sick nation that the South Koreans are (shamefully) refusing to push for re-unification under ANY banner, as they'd be 'saddled' with millions of hungry North Koreans, stunted from YEARS of malnutrition... SouthKors don't want to 'pay the price'...

So the whole peninsula is one SERIOUSLY UNSTABLE situation... deranged, dangerous and deadly. We can rip it sarcastically, but it could easily precipitate a nuclear exchange, if not a HUGE nuclear war!

[Rae]

Now, Juliette, you know that Kerry thinks anything he comes up with is going to be superior to Bush (even if it's Bush's original idea re-wrapped with a liberal bow).

[Dean Esmay]

See, you got me on the very thing I'm always driven to distraction by: all these critics of the President bring up this, that, this, that, this, that, that he did wrong. So what are their suggestions for what should be done?

I mean, it's not always. Occasionally I get a straight answer on that. MOre often it's just, "Bush screwed up!" Uh, okay, so what should he have done different? "Everything!"

That's not an answer a rational adult gives.

[Sonetka]

Dean, I know - it's the four-year-old school of political argument. "I don't care!" "I hate you!" "JUST BECAUSE!"

The difference being that four-year-olds are still teachable - and, may I say, much cuter :).

[Christopher Taylor]

I have a genuine question here I can't think of anywhere else to ask. The friends I ask here can't really answer, but as a writer you seem more thoughtful and inquisitive about the topic than most.

John Kerry preached at a black baptist church a few days ago, to general accolades. Now he said a bunch of political nonsense as is his wont, but what I really want to know is this:
Democrat politicians visit black churches once every election cycle and never go back. Doesn't this sink in? Why don't these worshippers make the connection that this is a crass, blatantly political move? Why is this guy somehow worthy of your vote because he shows up at your church once every four years pandering to you??

[Eric]

As serious as the N.Korean situation is,there more pressing issues to consider,such as our borders;primarily our border with Mexico. If either of the canidates would talk about that, they could the election handidly

[Mike]

Mushroom clouds come from big bangs, not just nukes. Our 20,000-lb bunker-busters in Afghanistan made them.

Latest news is that it's probably a missile test site or storage facility.

And I'm with the rest of you: I'd like to hear how they plan to deal with the other thousand problems we face. GWB promised before the last election to tighten up our southern border, and nothing's happened. I seriously doubt Kerry would do any better - he's beholden to Democrats who see the influx of illegal aliens as a great and wonderful pool of voters.

As opposed to the Republicans, who see the influx of illegal aliens as a great and wonderful source of cheap labor.

[StinKerr]

That would be the William H Zimmer power plant. It was built by CG&E in cooperation with DP&L and, IIRC two other electric power suppliers.

Again IIRC the welding on the high pressure steam pipes did not come up to standards and was not certifiable as a nuclear site.

Repair/replacement was going to be more expensive than conversion. Again, this is quite a while ago, early 80's, so I may not have it entirely right.

[Mike O]

Former President Jimmy Carter seems like a nice man and a Christian. Sadly, when he read Matt. 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves, the only part he remembered was the last three words, the second command. I know that this was not said to political leaders, but "in the midst of wolves" is quite accurate in describing who you will deal with as a political leader and "wise as serpents" doesn't suggest to me gullible as a preteen. Failure to remember the first statement and first command made him one of the worst Presidents and leaders in American history.

[Mike O]

StinKeerr is right on the money with the Chineese. They are the patron saint for North Korea and trying to play both ends against the middle. They really don't want a unified Korea but they may have to realize that for them the status quo is becoming untennable. The sames line of thought holds true for terrorism. Europe had terrorism until the fall of the Soviet Union dried up the money for it. To win the present war on terrorism it will be necessary to dry up it's funding.

[StinKerr]

Right, Mike O. I think we'll find some interesting things if we follow the money trail.

Unfortunately I fear it will lead to places and "friends" our government may not want to acknowledge.

Imagine the irony if it turns out that we're funding it ourselves through our munificent foreign aid packages.

I'm thinking of Egypt in particular. We give them billions every year as part of the Camp David agreements and they hate us.

I don't KNOW that they're funding terrorists but it wouldn't surprise me.

[teal marie]

I copied this straight off of Kedward's site, verbatim, from Kerry's Speech to the 124th National Baptist Convention.

Well, here is my answer. The Book of Matthew reminds us, “Beware of false profits which come to you in sheep’s clothing.” [Matthew 7:15].

[torchy]

What's next, "Jesus swept"???

(as a result of outsourcing manufacturing jobs, I imagine) ;)

[teal marie]

torchy!
was that a homonym attack?
I've never seen a profit, false or otherwise, in sheep's clothing. Its silly to dress sheep up, they hate it.
Should I tell the Kerry's they have an ironic typo or let it stand in all its glory? ];-)

[torchy]

teal!!
Homonym attack? Naw, they always try to butter me up :O Took a wrong turn on the info highway and saw a sheep in a pegnoir and boy did she look sheepish about the whole ordeal (prolly cuz she wasn't seeing any profits) so I'll have to agree with ewe.
Let the typo stay, seems to be a new habit of the DNC anyway, and the irony is sooo delicious >:-P