July 21, 2003 - Let’s see, the Country in question is ruled by a cruel dictator who has ruled his people with an iron hand. Human rights are consistently violated in the Country in Question. While its people have been permitted to starve the leader lives in splendid palaces. The Country in Question has only negotiated an armistice to end hostilities in its former war, It maintains a standing reasonable equipped army of more than 1 million soldiers who are poised to move south across the international border. The Country in Question announced that it was reconstituting its nuclear weapons system by building a facility to enrich uranium having earlier abandoning its program under an international agreement. It recently announced it was proceeding to reprocess spent fuel rods to recover weapons grade plutonium. It announced that it has completed the reprocessing of 8000 fuel rods. Experts believe that the yield would be enough plutonium to manufacture 5 to 6 nuclear bombs. Intelligence reports indicate that the Country in Question has active chemical and biological weapons system. The Country in Question has refused to permit UN weapons inspectors to have unfettered access and has excluded them.

What is the Presidents response? The Country in Question’s desire “to convince the world that they're in the process of developing a nuclear arsenal is nothing new," Is this President Bill Clinton speaking while he tries to appease the Country in Question? Not at all. In fact it is President George W. Bush brushing off recent intelligence indicating that not only is the Country in Question reconstituting its nuclear weapons system but actually expanding its facilities. There is little question that they are in the process of producing plutonium. We have detected a plume of one of the bi-products of the process – krypton 85 gas. American allies will work to convince the dictator the “that his decision is an unwise decision.", the President said.

Why is the President who led us to war in Iraq talking so softly to North Korea? Why is an Administration that was willing to seize any opportunity to hype doubtful intelligence sell its war in Iraq now engaged in diminishing the almost certain evidence that if North Korea has not already manufactured one or two nuclear devices and the capacity to deliver them it is just weeks away from having 5 or six.

The first, most obvious answer is that North Korea is not part of the main event, the Project for a New American Century’s drive to establish an American Empire in the oil rich Middle East. There is, of course, a more elemental reason. America’s military strength has been squandered in inconclusive attacks upon two nations. The objective of the Afghani Expedition was to bring Bin Laden and Al Qaida to justice. That objective has not been achieved and the American garrison is increasingly under attack. 148,000 troops are pinned down in Iraq, targets in a “classic guerrilla war.” Ten of our combat ready brigades are committed and another is headed for Liberia. We do not have the combat strength available to deal with Kim Il Song and his army – with or without nuclear weapons. There is no solution to the Country in Question genuine threat and overt challenge except what the right wing calls “appeasement” – so they will call it “diplomacy”.