Secretary of Defense Robert Gates predicted North Korea would launch a missile soon and said there’s nothing the United States can do about it.
“I would say we’re not prepared to do anything about it,” said Gates during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.”
STRASBOURG, France – Welcomed with thunderous cheers, President Barack Obama told a European audience on Friday that he is setting a dramatic goal of “a world without nuclear weapons.”
The new American president opened a town-hall style gathering with the declaration, saying he would outline details in Prague in the coming days.
“Even with the Cold War now over, the spread of nuclear weapons or the theft of nuclear material could lead to the extermination of any city on the planet,” Obama said, previewing a planned speech.
By Sunday morning:
Brilliant. And what do we have to do about it? Same as we did before the launch: More words. More talk. More international outrage. More nothing. Same as it ever was.
Is anyone really colored amazed by this? This is what happens when the world has no teeth; when the U.S. does have the teeth, but chooses to muzzle its bite. CJ nails it, spot on:
North Korea launched a missile over the nation of Japan today in violation of U.N. Security Resolution 1718. UNSR1718 is basically a bunch of talking about what N. Korean shouldn’t do about its nuclear program. And if it does those things banned in the resolution, the U.N. will – stop talking to them!! Oooooh. No wonder they continued to build their missile and research nuclear technology. What are the repercussions? Nothing.
In response to the launch of the missile, President Obama took bold actions. He just released a statement promising to “immediately consult with our allies in the region, including Japan and the Republic of Korea, and members of the U.N. Security Council to bring this matter before the Council.”
What a great idea! Get with the U.N. to talk some more. As much as that’s worked in the past, it’s bound to make some very important headway now. I mean, all N. Korea wants is for someone to talk to over tea and crumpets. Why else would they continue to flaunt resolution after resolution? Why else would they blatantly ignore calls to cease testing the ballistic missile and pursue nuclear weapons?
To underscore that the United States means business, President Obama made the following threats to North Korea:
“I urge North Korea to abide fully by the resolutions of the U.N. Security Council and to refrain from further provocative actions.” And if you don’t, we’ll urge you again. And again. And again.
Well, if you want to eliminate nuclear weapons from the world, Mr. President, you’re off to a helluva good start.
Time to send in Team America Hans Blix to save the world from nuclear proliferation:
A former fetus, the “wordsmith from nantucket” was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1968. Adopted at birth, wordsmith grew up a military brat. He achieved his B.A. in English from the University of California, Los Angeles (graduating in the top 97% of his class), where he also competed rings for the UCLA mens gymnastics team. The events of 9/11 woke him from his political slumber and malaise. Currently a personal trainer and gymnastics coach.
The wordsmith has never been to Nantucket.
Word,
What would you suggest we do?
Post on a blog expressing our outrage with more words. What else?
Oh, yes…..and also shake my fist at the tv screen every time I see Kim Jong-Il.
Do you use sarcasm, because you don’t have an answer to my question?
If not, what is your answer?
Well, we do have a modified 747 with an airborne laser to deal with these sorts of problems (don’t know if its ready yet). Oh…that’s right, Mr. “O” wouldn’t deploy it.
I guess we can give them some more plutonium like the Clintons did, then claim we were “suckered”. Bill, Madeline, you’re dimwits at best.
@Dave Noble:
Not sarcasm. Self-deprecating humor. I realize that I’m doing exactly what I’m criticizing world leaders and officials of doing, which is cyber-rattling, bitching, whining, and complaining. Offering no solutions.
No, I don’t have the magic answer.
One of the things we learned from our dealing with Saddam, is that he never actually thought George Bush would follow through and invade his country, until “it was on”. Why do you suppose that was? Because of 12 years of the global community failing to show any teeth or backbone to enforce the original cease-fire agreement with meaningful physical action. Threats are only effective if they’re believable.
It’s like allowing a cancer to metastasize until the last moment, when earlier prevention/treatment would have saved a world of hurt.
What does NK have to lose by defying the world? What do they have to gain by continuing on the path they’re embarked upon?
Those 10,000 Nork heavy artillery pieces pointed at Seoul – how many of them do you think are in working condition? 100%? 10%? I have no idea.
A quarter of Nork young men are not fit for military service due to the effects of a lifetime of malnutrition and hunger. The army is short of fuel for its vehicles. If the country were not mountainous and next to China, Korea would have been unified by force long ago.
There is a N. Korean oligarchy that wants to live comfortably. That’s all they care about. In a free society with some kind of merit-based reward system (what we used to have in this country) many of them would not live comfortably. Their people can starve, they can sell heroin to get cash, print counterfeit money, no problem. There is an opium quota for thousands of villages. Grow that on some of your land instead of food, or else. As long as the VIPs can eat lobster and drink cognac, no problem.
A mad society powered by pure evil. Always on the brink of collapse, if survival of the oligarchy is all we’re talking about. Long past the point of collapse, if you look at the whole population. Kept from utter final ruin and oblivion by shipments of Western food and petroleum.
Can they continue like this indefinitely? Maybe a regime change managed by China is in the future. I have no idea.
Word,
Thanks for setting me straight. Kudos for humility, Bro. I’m not sure what the answer is either.
General Sherman,
Thanks for noting the extent to which Seoul is “under the gun” What if it was 10% ? Would the level of casualties inflicted by that artillery be acceptable to the South Korean people?
Like you and Word, I don’t know what the answer is. BTW, I do think Kim Jong Il is far crazier than Saddam every was.
Barrack “the naive” Obama has brought his teleprompter to the launch pad, fueling has started, and he is preparing to fire it.
Meanwhile, Hillary is planning another dance in NK.
Dave Noble said; “Like you and Word, I don’t know what the answer is. BTW, I do think Kim Jong Il is far crazier than Saddam every was.”
I don’t think anyone knows for sure who was crazier. Considering what they have done in the past, it doesn’t even matter. There’s no doubt about one thing though, Kim Jong-Il is insane and Saddam was insane.
Anyway, back to the article. I agree with CJ, and Wordsmith. Talking, urging, and passing fruitless resolution after another has gotten us nowhere. However, I don’t want to see another war added to the ridiculously long list of conflicts that are going on throughout the planet.
It’s not that I am afraid or that I wouldn’t serve my country. It’s just that I am sick of all the war politics. I could not stomach all of the political junk that the Iraq war has brought, and I don’t know if I could deal with another anytime soon.
Reply to Bill-TB,
That’s funny. I bet the North Koreans are running for cover, LOL! Some more self-depricating humor in these uncertain times.
Bill-TB said; “Barrack “the naive” Obama has brought his teleprompter to the launch pad, fueling has started, and he is preparing to fire it.”
5, 4, 3, 2, 1…LOL!
Newt Gingrich said today on “Fox News Sunday” he would have disabled the missile before North Korea launched it. Not sure how that’s done, but it must be possible, and would send a message to NK that we won’t allow them to even try to launch another one.
I hope and pray that our intelligence services have a better picture of the “true” capabilities of the North Korea than what is publicly available. But, since I have only a limited amount of information, I can only offer ideas of what we should do on a contingency basis:
1) If the missile’s splash down in the Pacific and its failed underground nuclear test are an indication that N.K. is still very much technically lacking, and we have the time to set N.K. up, then we would be wise to engage in what has been called “Hawk” Diplomacy. The reason why none of our punitive measures have worked with N.K. is that cutting off something they don’t have in the first place doesn’t really hurt them. Also, historically countries don’t have changes in government at the absolute low in their prosperity; it’s when things start to improve that the people rise up to change things. Hawk Diplomacy recognizes this. Basically the idea is to provide / sell more things (not stuff that would have their weapon systems notably) to N.K. to help the country improve itself. The idea then is that, first the people of N.K. will cease to be starving masses, incapable of rising up, and second that should we cut off what we’ve been providing, we’ll have a real “stick” to change N.K.’s behavior. The idea is to make the eventual N.K. collapse a “soft-landing” style one, versus a crash. Both South Korea and China are loathe to see a stream of N.K. refugees streaming across their borders if N.K. falls down and goes boom in a sudden manner.
2) If the U.S. has info that would lead us to believe that N.K.’s missile and nuclear technology are rising to the level of genuine threat; then we would be wise to take to heart more our own interests (and also those of the Japanese), and take more direct action. The F-22 offers a perfect platform for striking any North Korean missile while it is on the pad, using the right kind of munitions, and given its stealth capabilities, that plan offers us plausible deniability. The mysterious explosion at a N.K. rail switch is a possible indication that the Chinese are trying to make their displeasure known to the N.K. government. However, China’s obstructionist activities at the U.N. cast some shadow on that.
In any event, the U.N. is an entirely useless organ for trying to address this issue, and bothering with the sham of going through the security council is a waste of breath. BHO is showing off his foreign policy weakness early on in his term with the handling of this event.
But, but, but…taking action would mean commitment and a drop in the global polls.
Well, let’s analyze why global polls might drop…
China & Russia view N.K. as a useful thorn in the side of the U.S.; helps keep our eyes away from the funny stuff they’re pulling.
The Middle Eastern states will oppose action because they hope to buy the missile and nuclear technology that N.K. is developing.
The Europeans (except for the Brits perhaps), will oppose it because they believe that only a mushroom cloud over a South Korean / Japanese / American city will make proper pre-text for taking “salient” action against N.K.
African and South American non-aligned types may oppose us because their tin-horn dictators hold up Kim Jong Il as some sort of perverse idol of the kind of control and forced adoration they’d love to have from their people.
Who might back us? Probably the Eastern Europeans (they have recent experience with what being ruled by Stalinists means), the Japanese (they’d be under the gun, just like we are), the Israelis (another country familiar with having a bunch of loons who want nukes and missiles to kill them), and the Australians (those fine folks down under who haven’t misplaced their spines like their European ancestors, and have been steady allies to us around the globe).
I recognize you were probably joking Tim, but there are some who read this discussion board who thing that the popular thing around the globe is also the same thing as the “right” thing to do. Usually these are the same people who believe in “human rights” when it applies to the terrorists we have locked up down in Gitmo (who get far better nutrition, sanitation, and medical care than they’ve ever experienced in their lives there), but are silent about the genocide that Kim Jong Il is carrying out against his own people (so he can stay in the lobster and cognac).
The solution to the problem lies with China. If the PRC could live with a unified (and democratic) Korea on it’s border, there would be no need for it to prop up Kim or to have propped up his father before him.