NK has more nukes.

North Korea appears to be making giant leaps forward in its technological ability to nuke Japan or the Western United States.

The head of the Defense Intelligence Agency said Thursday that American intelligence agencies believed North Korea had mastered the technology for arming its missiles with nuclear warheads, an assessment that if correct, means the North could build weapons to threaten Japan and perhaps the western United States.

I just want ot point out that this DISASTER occured while John Bolton was in charge of the situation in North Korea.

When Bolton was in charge, there were six-nation talks between NK, the US and four other nations (China, Japan, Russia and South Korea) whose sole purpose was to persuade NK to give up its weapons program.

The Beijing talks are aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program. (December 2, 2003)

But John Bolton, despite being our top envoy to North Korea, REFUSED to participate in these talks. Basically, he thought the proper approach to North Korea and Kim Jong-Il was to stand at a distance and call him names.

[ US Deputy Secretary of State Richard] Armitage also said the top US envoy on North Korea, John Bolton, who recently infuriated North Korea by calling its leader Kim Jong-Il a "tyrannical dictator", would not take part in the six-nation talks.

"The US government will make the decision on who will participate in the upcoming six-way talks and Mr. Bolton was not scheduled and will not be participating in these talks," he said. (August 12, 2003)

North Korea announced that it had nukes, and pulled out of talks.

North Korea said it has produced nuclear bombs and is pulling out of negotiations with the U.S. and four other nations to abandon the weapons program.

``We are compelled to suspend our participation in the talks for an indefinite period,'' the state-run Korean Central News Agency said today in Pyongyang, because the Bush administration has a policy ``not to coexist'' with the communist nation.

And now they are building nukes completely unchecked.

Look, Kim Jong-Il is a lunatic - he's possibly the craziest sonofabitch running any country on earth.

But he IS running a country. Which means that you have to deal with him.

Bush keeps saying, "He's a madman, he's a madman, he's a madman." Well, he IS a madman. But what the hell makes them think that you can successfully bully a MADMAN?

Yes, it may be emotionally satisfying to stand there and just tell the sonofabitch off, but it's STUPID. And dangerous. You don't play chicken with nukes. You have to deal with this guy.

Bush and Bolton had the chance to deal with him, and they chose not to.

And this is the result.

When Bush took office, North Korea did not have nuclear weapons.

Now they do.

Because Bush and Bolton thought name-calling and bullying was the correct way to deal with a lunatic.