Wonder how many times Sen Kerry advised diplomacy

[globalvillage]

with North Korea over the past years?

Here are some choice selections from 2004. I know he's warned about bush*'s N Korea non-policy recently as well.

Kerry also accused the administration of having no plan to deal with North Korea's rush to build its nuclear weapons arsenal. He derided the Bush administration's long effort to set up six-nation talks to resolve the impasse over North Korea's nuclear ambitions as a "fig leaf" designed to cover up its failure to have a coherent policy.
Kerry said he would immediately begin bilateral negotiations with North Korea -- a goal the Pyongyang government has long sought. But, perhaps in a nod to the sensitivities of the Japanese, the South Koreans and the Chinese, he said he would not abandon the six-nation talks.
Sunday, May 30, 2004
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1443-2004May29.html

(There is a really hot picture of the Senator at the above link)

Kerry did charge "that this is one of the most serious failures and challenges to the security of the United States, and it really underscores the way in which George Bush talks the game but doesn't deliver." He continued, according to Sanger: "'They have taken their eye off the real ball,' Mr. Kerry said, his voice almost shaking in anger. 'They took it off in Afghanistan and shifted it to Iraq. They took it off in North Korea and shifted it to Iraq.'"
09/13/2004
http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004/618txngz.asp

(Wm Kristol should eat shit and die)

For this reason, Mr. Bush stopped diplomatic relations with North Korea early in his presidency. The cold diplomatic relations increased tensions.
Jack Pritchard, who at the time of Mr. Bush's "Axis of Evil" speech was special U.S. envoy to North Korea, said in an interview that the president's blunt language "ultimately did undermine" his diplomatic efforts.
Kerry says diplomacy is compromise, inferring that Mr. Bush's policy with North Korea is responsible for "letting a nuclear nightmare develop," as Kerry is quoted in Monday's New York Times.
Sept. 14, 2004
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/14/politics/main643242.shtml

(There’s a really ugly pic of bush* at this link. Sorry, that’s redundant. Avert your eyes.)

KERRY: With respect to North Korea, the real story: We had inspectors and television cameras in the nuclear reactor in North Korea. Secretary Bill Perry negotiated that under President Clinton. And we knew where the fuel rods were. And we knew the limits on their nuclear power.
Colin Powell, our secretary of state, announced one day that we were going to continue the dialog of working with the North Koreans. The president reversed it publicly while the president of South Korea was here.
And the president of South Korea went back to South Korea bewildered and embarrassed because it went against his policy. And for two years, this administration didn't talk at all to North Korea.
While they didn't talk at all, the fuel rods came out, the inspectors were kicked out, the television cameras were kicked out. And today, there are four to seven nuclear weapons in the hands of North Korea.
That happened on this president's watch
First Debate
September 30, 2004
http://www.debates.org/pages/trans2004a.html

Yesterday, there were reports that North Korea are preparing to fire an intermediate-range ballistic missile that may be able to carry a nuclear warhead. I will work with our allies to get the six party talks with North Korea back on track -- and I will talk directly with the North Koreans -- to get a verifiable agreement that will eliminate their nuclear weapons program completely and irreversibly. We have to get serious about diplomacy with North Korea now. Only then will we have the support of our allies for action if diplomacy fails.
John Kerry at Temple University
September 24, 2004
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=36871

bush* sucks. He really, really sucks.

[karynnj]

1. GV, you didn't warn about the obnoxious framing the

post had in the first one. (Yeah, I went to see the photo.) But seeing a good photo and seeing Kerry was right - and how into PNAC the WP was is good.

That article really shows the problem with the WP in 2004. They repeat both the Kerry's solutions on Iraq were similar to Bush's and that Kerry's foregn policy is less idealistic than Bush's or even Clinton's. (Yeah PNAC worked out pretty well, NOT) In retrospect, idealistic or not Kerry's concerns were SANE and this whole list is a giant Kerry was right. (THe NYT had a similar view in an op-ed)

"In many ways, Kerry laid out a foreign policy agenda that appeared less idealistic about U.S. aims than those of President Bush or even fellow Democrat Bill Clinton. Although Kerry said it is important to sell democracy and "market it" around the world, he demurred when questioned about a number of important countries that suppress human rights and freedoms. He said securing all nuclear materials in Russia, integrating China in the world economy, achieving greater controls over Pakistan's nuclear weapons or winning greater cooperation on terrorist financing in Saudi Arabia trumped human rights concerns in those nations.

"Sometimes we are dealt a set of cards that don't allow us do everything we want to do at once," he said. "

Sounds sane to me. The fact is neither Bush or Clinton did a huge amount on human rights abuses.

On the real topic - Kerry was so good in the debates on this - and Bush simply played games.

[rockymountaindem]

2. This is blowing my frikkin' mind.

I couldn't believe this when I read it. Of all the complete failures the Bush admin. has managed to rack up, this may be the worst one of all. What the f*** are we supposed to do now?

But I suppose Kerry wouldn't have done any better because Democrats can't handle national security, or because they're just the same as the Republicans, or because it's all about the money or whatever. Good God... during one of the most hopeful times in human history we got Bush to dash all that. My head is spinning.

[ginnyinWI]

3. I'm wondering if this will help the repubs?

A little North Korean scare to make people vote for repubs over Dems? I think the latest polls say that people trust Dems more on national security. I hope that's true and this event doesn't change any minds.

[Firespirit]

4. I seriously doubt it

People saw this coming a mile off. It's a surprise to no one, least of all the Bushies. It only gives Dem leaders an opening to call out the repuke party... and I am expecting a hard-hitting statement from one tall Senator sometime soon. As for them, what can they say? "Vote for us so that we can continue to keep you safe from terra and rogue states"... oh, oops.

My suspicion is that it'll have zero impact. I rather suspect that the repuke party's public support is basically bottomed out. Really, if people still support them after the past week, they'll support them no matter what. This latest news will just further disgust people who are already massively pissed at them for other reasons.

[globalvillage]

5. I heard someone say that on CNN this morning.

I was just getting out of the shower, so I guess I either still had soap in my ears, or someone actually said this would help the repubs and they didn't see how it could hurt them. Bullshit.
Dems have to get on TV and remind the American people that this is bush*'s failure. bush* is like a petulant child. I swear his next move will be to hold his breath until N Korea says they'll stop testing.
People HAVE to see that by now. They have to see that this is a diplomatic failure and bush*'s non-policy is going to leave us with no allies and nuclear capable enemies. What must the Japanese and S Koreans and others in the region be thinking? This is scary stuff.
Rice is almost as dangerous as bush*. What a waste. Too bad she didn't go with the piano thing, I hear she's really good at it.

Oh, shit. It just occurred to me that we'll have to hear bush* say nukulur over and over. I'm thinking that if you want to control something, you really should learn how to pronounce it first.

bush* sucks.

[ProSense]

6. Excellent stuff GV.

Can you post it in GD-P?

[globalvillage]

7. Sorry, late for work (again)

Do you have time to post it?

[ProSense]

8. OK! n/t

[globalvillage]

9. I would leave out the

"eat shit..." comment. We used to say that when we were kids (tough neighborhood), and it sort of resurfaced late last evening. I don't want Kristol to do that, obviously. I just want him to go away, the jerk.

Thanks for posting it.

Oops. Now I'm really late.

:-)

[wisteria]

10. The RW lap dogs are all over this because it is overtaking the Foley

mess. Will it work, my guess is not to much.The Kool-Aid drinkers and the Bush enablers will make as much noise as possible over this because it is their only card to play. The Dem's and others have been saying Bush needed to enter into talks a long time ago. The administration decided to take a wait and see attitude-wait and see if China or Japan handles it. Madeline Albright said, NK's leader wants to be recognized as a leader in the eyes of the world.It was suggested that all Bush needed to do was stroke him a bit. Show him some respect so to speak.At least meet with him. The Clinton administration was able to work with him to some degree, Bush on the other hand, doesn't want to work with anyone. The attitude seems to be, my way or no way. So, this is what we now have to deal with because of Bush's way.
I am throughly disgusted, Bush is a real danger to this country and anyone who still thinks he can protect us is absolutely crazy.

[beachmom]

11. Even while trumpeting this "GOP advantage", this NRO writer

acknowledged what a huge failure this nuclear test was:

"Lots of folks think this nuke thing is good news for the GOP because it puts national security in play and diminishes the Foley stuff. As political analysis, I think that's probably right. But let's keep in mind that North Korea's nuke testing constitutes a failure of US policy. We can debate the details and the extenuating circumstances, but President Bush denounced the Axis of Evil five years ago and promised that he would do everything to keep its members from getting nukes. Well, North Korea just detonated one. Iran is well on its way to getting one. And Iraq, well, that's not quite the bright spot we hoped it would be," - Jonah Goldberg conceding simple reality, on NRO.



North Korea's nuclear test diminishing Foley and helping the GOP? I just can't believe the American people would feel that way. Seems to me it's two examples of the GOP sitting around doing nothing so that they can garnish more power while disasters await our children and our country.

[wisteria]

12. I see it that way too. I find it appauling they would see political gain

in this action by NK.

[beachmom]

13. Actually, I just read that the nuclear test was probably a dud

It failed.

Somebody on TPM snarkily said Bush and NK leader have a lot in common -- total bullies intent on war, but hopelessly incompetent.