Glenn Kessler of the WaPo puts the North Korean nuclear test (if that's what it was) squarely on the backs of the Bush Administration.
North Korea's apparent nuclear test last night may well be regarded as a failure of the Bush administration's nuclear nonproliferation policy.Since George W. Bush became president, North Korea has restarted its nuclear reactor and increased its stock of weapons-grade plutonium, so it may now have enough for 10 or 11 weapons, compared with one or two when Bush took office.
[snip]
When Bush became president in 2000, Pyongyang's reactor was frozen under a 1994 agreement with the United States.
That deal was called The Agreed Framework.
Many top U.S. officials were determined to kill the Agreed Framework, and when U.S. intelligence discovered evidence that North Korea had a clandestine program to enrich uranium, they had their chance.A U.S. delegation confronted Pyongyang about the secret program -- and U.S. officials said North Korean officials appeared to confirm it. (Pyongyang later denied that.) The United States pressed to cut off immediately deliveries of heavy fuel oil promised under the Agreed Framework. North Korea, in response, evicted international inspectors and restarted its nuclear reactor.
Pyongyang moved quickly to reprocess 8,000 spent fuel rods -- previously in a cooling pond under 24-hour international surveillance -- in order to obtain the plutonium needed for nuclear weapons.
One of the troubles with this Administration is that, while many of them think they're following Teddy Roosevelt's dictum "Speak softly but carry a big stick," they continually ignore the first half of the phrase in favor of the second.
If it weren't so damaging, it would be funny. All these self-proclaimed Christians continually ignore the Golden Rule as laid down in the Gospel of Matthew: "Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them."
Yup. I'm sure the Bush Administration would greatly enjoy being lectured by the international community, being threatened with sanctions and regime change, and generally being treated like a small recalcitrant child.
Posted by Linkmeister at October 9, 2006 03:02 PM | TrackBackI'm sure the Bush Administration would greatly enjoy being lectured by the international community, being threatened with sanctions and regime change, and generally being treated like a small recalcitrant child.
Who said that that's not happening already?
OK, maybe not the sanctions part (yet), but I'm sure a good portion of the world at least thinks that this administration is a bunch of "small recalcitrant children," as you put it.
Yeah, but it still has nasty big sticks and not much compunction about using them. Classic bully-in-the-schoolyard behavior, when you think about it.
Posted by: Linkmeister at October 9, 2006 10:07 PM