Obama Persuades Liberals that John Bolton Was Right About North Korea

At the San Francisco Chronicle, Stanford Professor Joel Brinkley argues the President Obama is “wasting his time” trying to improve relations with North Korea:

In the months since Obama took office, North Korea has test fired long-range missiles, threatened and belittled South Korea and conducted a nuclear test – even as Washington let Pyongyang know that it wanted to improve relations. Finally, it appears, the administration has had enough.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, attending the July 23 meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Phuket, Thailand, was characteristically late for a session where, it turned out, a North Korean delegate was scheduled to make a statement. The North Koreans stormed out when Clinton failed to show up to hear them. Then they held a news conference to denounce her.

For her part, Clinton said America and its Asian allies have reached a ” new consensus” on North Korean policy – to ratchet up pressure, exactly the opposite of Obama’s original goal: improving relations. [Joel Brinkley, SF Chronicle]

It’s welcome to see reality setting in at last, but would liberals be migrating this conclusion en masse if a Republican occupied the White House today? Now if only liberals would begin to think in revolutionary terms that go beyond haggling with the regime. Beyond conventional diplomacy lies engagement with, and the empowering of, the North Korean people.

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usinkorea says:

August 3, 2009 at 5:50 pm

Will we see Republicans moving to the other side? Yes or no would be telling…
Matt says:

August 4, 2009 at 12:15 am

President Obama extended a hand to the DPRK, they didn’t respond with a clenched fist. They responded with an extended middle finger and a “**** you” to the west. The current administration’s position seems to be drifting away from it’s original goal. I’m all for sunshine and flowers, but eventually some weeds need to be trimmed away.

And by the way, I would rather have a president that starts with diplomacy and ends with war rather then the other way around.
Tammy says:

August 5, 2009 at 3:35 am

This â€œall carrot, no stickâ€ policy with North Korea was started by Bill Clinton in the late 90’s. Many of us living in the ROK at the time knew it was ridiculous and foresaw exactly what has happened, and we didn’t need advanced degrees in Asian studies or Korean history to figure it out.

Now, the question is this: Will Pres. Obama actually get out some real sticks to smack down that gopher crazy Kim or it is bravado or hurt feelings?