North Korea

[SmallTown]

I'm just talking aloud here to try and sort out a few things... Bush talks about we have no problem with going at it alone with regards to Iraq. After all, it is in our best interest (and the world's) if saddam is gone, it doesn't matter if others see it that way or not.
Saddam either has WMD or is capable of creating them. N.Korea has them.

Bush has said that Iraq has threatened the US by constantly shooting at american aircraft in the southern no fly zone. N.Korea recently intercepted a drone aircraft.

Saddam has said the US in only attacking out of revenge or for oil. N. Korea has said we are planning a secret atomic attack against them and will respond accordingly.

Bush says Saddam has threatened the US and allies of attacking at will if the US invades. N.Korea has threatened nuclear war if we attack them.

Maybe one of Bush's top military advisors is the trainer for Mike Tyson. In boxing you "warm up" with several weak opponents who have no chance of beating you before going to the "prize fight"
We toppled the taliban (joke), soon to topple saddam (pretty easy), then it will be time for the title match. Lets hope Bush show the eagerness and confidence with disarming a (soon to be) nuclear power as he has with disarming a bunch of weak camel humpers (yes Penncam, I DID say that! )



"Top Bush administration officials said Sunday the time still isn't ripe for one-on-one talks with North Korea, despite concerns that North Korea is moving rapidly to develop new nuclear weapons"

"Any lasting solution to the North Korean problem will need the support of Russia, China and other nations, Secretary of State Colin Powell and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, said in separate television interviews. North Korea opposes multilateral talks. "

"I think eventually we will be talking to North Korea, but we're not going to simply fall into what I believe is bad practice of saying the only way you can talk to us is directly, when it affects other nations in the region," Powell said on CNN's Late Edition.
"
"Powell noted that under a 1994 agreement, North Korea froze its plutonium program, then secretly began a separate uranium enrichment program. "

 

[Bruzilla]

"Saddam either has WMD or is capable of creating them. N.Korea has them." Not quite. The PROK have claimed to have nuclear weapons, but no one has been able to confirm this. They have also never conducted nuclear tests, and these are weapons that must be tested before you can have any assurance that they will actually work. Personally I doubt they have any nuclear weapons.

"Bush has said that Iraq has threatened the US by constantly shooting at american aircraft in the southern no fly zone. N.Korea recently intercepted a drone aircraft." The PROK intercepted a USAF RC-135, which is definately not a drone. Also, speaking as someone who has been intercepted numerous times, I can tell you that there is a huge difference between being intercepted and having someone try to shoot you down.

"Saddam has said the US in only attacking out of revenge or for oil. N. Korea has said we are planning a secret atomic attack against them and will respond accordingly." Even if the PROK had nuclear weapons their missiles would have a tough time making it to the US. Their weapons have the legs to reach the US in theory only, and that assumption is based on the use of a conventional warhead. Bolt on a much heavier nuclear warhead and I think the best the PROK could do would be to nuke a bunch of fish somewhere between Wake Island and California.

How many times have we been innundated with all this trash talk from countries? The PROK threat to wage war with us holds as much credibility as Hussein's "Mother of All Battles" comment did. When their sugar daddy died (The USSR), these countries were forced to actually pay for arms and equipment, and the support and maintenance of these systems. Once they had to pick up the tab they decided that they had better things to do with their money and that's why these countries' armies may be manpower rich but equipment light.

Bush isn't doing anything to the PROK because there's no need to. The PROK represents no military or economic threat to the US. They are an annoyance and little more, and will be dealt with in due course.

 

[vraiblonde]

Just got a call from my son (who's stationed in Korea, Intel Analyst, for those of you who don't know). He says they're not worried. The talk around the campfire is, "How much warning did they get when Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated? How about when Pearl Harbor was attacked?" The point being that you don't spew for weeks when you're going to attack another country - you go do it.

We talked about the Iraqis surrendering to the British Para unit and he said the general feeling is pity for the soldiers and civilians and contempt for Saddam.

So there you go. If the guys close to the "action" aren't worried, neither am I.