The New Republic

The neoconservatives entertain fantasies about conquering the world for democracy. The striped-pants set conjures up visions of diplomacy always and everywhere carrying the day. Even Robert Gates seems not to be plugged into reality. China seems a little more miffed than usual about North Korea's latest actions but do not look for them to actually attempt to restrain the North Koreans. And if Barack Obama were to meet with Kim Jong-Il and hammer out an agreement on North Korea's nuclear capacity, it would not be worth the paper it would be written on.

- liberal reformer

May 29, 2009 at 10:42pm

Marty, when the other guy is pounding his chest to demonstrate how tough he is, shrieking about what a scary threat he poses is not how a strong opponent reacts. The way you demonstrate strength in response to such posing is to keep your cool. That's what Gates is doing, and it's absolutely the right response. Especially given that in terms of actions, as you note but somehow ascribe to some mythical chain of command that doesn't involve the secretary of defense -- perhaps you think the secretary of the interior is in charge of our forces in Korea? -- U.S. forces in Korea have stepped up their alert status, and naval resources are being put in place to enforce a potentially tightened shipping quarantine. So Gates in fact is speaking softly and carrying a big stick, unlike the previous administration, where speaking loudly but carrying no stick at all was the norm. After eight years of that, perhaps it will take many Americans some time to remember what actual strength and confidence looks like, so I won't hold your hysterical pleading for Gates to hit the panic button against you. We're probably all suffering from Post-Bush Traumatic Stress Syndrome to one degree or another, and a lingering inability to tell the difference between strength and weakness is probably a very common symptom.

- rhubarbs

May 30, 2009 at 9:01am

What does China get out of helping us here?  Hastening the collapse of the North?

I'm sure they're thrilled at the idea of millions of North Koreans swarming over the border and US troops suddenly being on that border.

Let's not forget that a William Cohen let the cat out of the bag in '97 by gently reminding everyone that US troops were going to stay in Korea whether it unified or not.  That sentiment can hardly be described as a partisan strategic goal.  Those troops are there just as much for our goals as they are there for the protection of South Korea.  Whether most people in the US realise this or not, the Koreans and Chinese are acutely aware of it.

If the nightmare scenario occurred and the north actually attacks the south, those troops are likely not going to last very long, and neither is Seoul.  You only need one US soldier to be a tripwire.

It's funny how easily we dismiss other countries' legitimate security concerns in viewing our differences with them, given our staggering expenditure to secure our own.

- Nari224

May 30, 2009 at 11:10am

Between the Grave Threats in Pakistan, Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan and all the other totalitarian terrorist regimes around the globe it's nothing short of a miracle all of us aren't dead by now.

Right?

A country that spends more than all the other nations in the world combined on weapons of mass destruction needs lots and lots of boogeymen, doesn't it? The fascists and the communists bit the dust. But lucky for the military industrial complex, the "terrorists" will never be crushed. Not ALL of them. The longest war can thus give birth to the war that never ends.

It's almost as though defense contracters wrote the script themselves. Well, with the help of the Congress and the White House, of course.

Out last best hope is that the mainstream media will finally do their job...instead of being publicists for those who own and operate the revolving doors and the turnstiles.

Which is to say there is really no hope at all.

george walton

- iambiguous

May 31, 2009 at 10:19am