| North Korea has tested a low yield nuclear device | | | | power. We have to be careful what we say. |
| with 4% of the destructive power of the bomb | | | | President Bush announced the "axis of evil" |
| that the United States dropped on Hiroshima, | | | | speech several years ago. He named North Korea |
| Japan at the end of World War II. | | | | and Iraq as two of the three countries. It would |
| Some believe that the device was much larger | | | | seem that he started his anti-terrorism campaign |
| but may have failed for technical reasons. | | | | in the wrong end of the world. |
| We don't know the truth, because the United | | | | Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction |
| States has not devoted the resources to know | | | | (WMD), while North Korea has gone live with |
| what is really going on. If you are surprised, don't | | | | them. Now we are in a bind. Our defense policy |
| be. Intelligence collection is a tricky business. | | | | has been altered whereby we can only fight one |
| When Richard Nixon was President, you may | | | | war in one country at a time, while fighting a |
| remember that one of our ships, the USS Pueblo | | | | holding action in a second country. Prior to the |
| was brazenly attacked and hijacked in international | | | | Bush Administration holding power, we were |
| waters in 1968, off the coast of North Korea. | | | | postured to fight two simultaneous wars on two |
| The 82 member crew was taken prisoner and | | | | fronts. |
| tortured over an 11 month period before their | | | | The bad guys know our new policy and will take |
| release was negotiated. | | | | advantage of us being pinned down in Iraq to |
| There is such a thing as institutional memory. The | | | | expand their own power bases. Since we have a |
| senior members of the military remember the | | | | fear of losing pilots or better yet, having a pilot |
| Pueblo incident well, and it still influences our | | | | shot down, we are not doing the reconnaissance |
| behavior towards North Korea. As an aside, | | | | flights that we would normally do over North |
| President Nixon gave the order to attack North | | | | Korea. |
| Korea in retribution for the Pueblo incident. At the | | | | The best thing to do right now is to realize that if |
| time the President believed a show of force was | | | | North Korea is a problem for the United States, it |
| absolutely necessary to dissuade the Koreans | | | | is a much bigger problem for Japan, China, |
| from further provocative acts. Nixon's Secretary | | | | Philippines, and South Korea. This is a regional |
| of Defense at the time did not carry out the | | | | problem in spite of our alliances, and treaty |
| Presidential directive. To the end of his life, Nixon | | | | involvements. Its one thing to build and detonate a |
| felt the biggest foreign policy error of his | | | | nuclear weapon, it's quite another to have a long |
| administration was the failure to carry out a | | | | range missile delivery system. North Korea could |
| retaliatory raid against North Korea for the Pueblo | | | | fairly easily develop a delivery system capable of |
| capture. The Pueblo incident has emboldened the | | | | hitting the countries in its immediate vicinity. |
| North Koreans ever since. | | | | Hitting the United States from a 9,000 mile plus |
| Both the Clinton and Bush Administrations were | | | | distance is another story, not so easy really. Since |
| aware of the Pueblo incident and its aftermath, | | | | the countries bordering North Korea have the |
| when attempting to configure a new US policy | | | | most to lose, they should be the ones bearing the |
| towards North Korea's nuclear program. We have | | | | brunt of the responsibility for multi-lateral talks |
| 37,000 American soldiers stationed in South Korea | | | | among the powers involved. |
| protecting our alliance and interests with South | | | | The real deal is that North Korea is a dictatorship |
| Korea. There is a phased troop withdrawal from | | | | that routinely starves its own people for the |
| the South Korea Peninsula taking place. | | | | benefit of the small leadership that has basically |
| You have to wonder why we are willing to | | | | enslaved the country. This leadership wants to |
| withdraw troops from South Korea during a time | | | | play the cards that it can. What it now has is |
| when they wish to pursue a nuclear development | | | | nuclear weapons. They will use this card to |
| process. The answer is that this area of the | | | | maximize whatever concessions they can from |
| world is loaded with dynamite, and if it blows up, | | | | the United States and the immediate surrounding |
| you don't want to have 37,000 American troops | | | | neighbors. |
| sitting in the middle of it. North Korea has one of | | | | Are we going to cave, and make concessions to |
| the largest stockpiles of artillery weapons of any | | | | the North Koreans? Of course we are, because |
| army in the world. They are capable of striking | | | | that's what superpowers do. It's not about |
| Seoul, South Korea's capital from across the | | | | appeasement, it's about business, and what |
| border. | | | | makes good business sense. Churchill said that |
| It was recently reported that Prince Bandar, the | | | | "People have friends, nations have interests". |
| Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States | | | | It is in our interest to not divert ourselves from |
| had a private conversation with President Bush. In | | | | the issue of extricating ourselves from a tortuous |
| the conversation the Prince told the President that | | | | situation in Iraq. It is costing us treasure, and |
| the United States should withdraw US troops | | | | beginning to eat at the social fabric our country as |
| from South Korea. Bandar felt it was too | | | | Viet Nam did a generation ago. We must put a |
| dangerous to leave our soldiers in the middle of a | | | | good face on Iraq and get out. The President |
| possible confrontation where our OPTIONS would | | | | may not be aware of it, but he is on a short |
| be limited. As Bandar put it, without troops on the | | | | leash in Iraq. The American people are very |
| border, if there's problem, it's a REGIONAL | | | | intolerant of wars without objectives that last too |
| PROBLEM. With troops, you could have thousands | | | | long, and that's precisely where George Bush finds |
| of American lives at risk, and it becomes a major | | | | himself. It is highly questionable that his party will |
| WAR instantly. | | | | survive the mid-term elections intact. The country |
| So what do we do about the North Koreans | | | | will embrace CHANGE, even from a Democratic |
| announcing the ACTUAL testing of a nuclear | | | | party that is devoid of ideas. |
| weapon? We have to realize that words have | | | | |