North Korea: One More Problem Swagger Can't Solve

Great column by former SecDef William Perry on Bush's failure to formulate a North Korea policy.

It appears that, like most narcissistic assholes, Kim Jong Il's central motivator is a craving for respect from those he considers to be his peers. Therefore, he's just going to keep on trucking towards weaponized nukes until he gets that respect. That's why the Agreed Upon Framework worked for a while (and by "worked" I mean slowed development, because there was and is no other option), and why isolating North Korea hasn't worked. It's a repugnant choice to make, but when you're the Bush administration and you have no more credibility or cards up your sleeve, why do you think the latter option is better? In every case, Bush defaults to talking tough, regardless of whether it's likely to accomplish anything.

My plan is to quietly evacuate the entire South Korean peninsula one night under the cover of darkness, then strike Pyong Yang hard and fast the next morning while Kim Jong Il is sipping his breakfast cognac out of the bellybutton of a Swedish movie star. It won't work, you say? You're right, but it's a lot more fun to think about than six party talks, and everyone knew those weren't going to work either.