Oops. That absence you may have noted for several hours was a crash, caused by pilot error. My apologies.

The Russian delegate on North Korea’s stance in the six-party talks: In Tokyo on Monday, Russia’s ambassador said the negotiations would be unlikely to yield progress even if Pyongyang returns to the table as demanded. “One can hardly expect noticeable progress at the six-way talks even if they are resumed,” Alexander Losyukov told a forum in Tokyo, as quoted by Kyodo News. North Korea’s “latest behavior is clearly showing that there is no respect for the partners, no willingness to...

Newsweek has discovered another desecration outrage. This one is intentional, premeditated, and confirmed, and will result in no riots, bans, or arrests . . . nor should it. Predictably, however, some will denounce us for censorship for making public note of our decision not to hand our money over to the people who produce this dreck.

Presenting . . . The Parade of Unfortunate Star Wars Costumes. About time.

Daniel Okrent, the Public Editor at the New York Times, has some parting comments that are astonishingly direct. You can probably smell the bridges burning in Vermont.

Oops. That absence you may have noted for several hours was a crash, caused by pilot error. My apologies.

The Russian delegate on North Korea’s stance in the six-party talks: In Tokyo on Monday, Russia’s ambassador said the negotiations would be unlikely to yield progress even if Pyongyang returns to the table as demanded. “One can hardly expect noticeable progress at the six-way talks even if they are resumed,” Alexander Losyukov told a forum in Tokyo, as quoted by Kyodo News. North Korea’s “latest behavior is clearly showing that there is no respect for the partners, no willingness to...

Newsweek has discovered another desecration outrage. This one is intentional, premeditated, and confirmed, and will result in no riots, bans, or arrests . . . nor should it. Predictably, however, some will denounce us for censorship for making public note of our decision not to hand our money over to the people who produce this dreck.

Presenting . . . The Parade of Unfortunate Star Wars Costumes. About time.

Daniel Okrent, the Public Editor at the New York Times, has some parting comments that are astonishingly direct. You can probably smell the bridges burning in Vermont.

The Joongang Ilbo reports that discussion OPLAN 5029 contingency plans is on again, but it could just as well be that it’s back to Square One: No firm policy decisions were reached at the closed-door sessions, which took place May 10 to 12 at Yongsan Garrison, according to a participant in the meeting, who characterized it as essentially a brainstorming session. The meeting was titled the United Nations Command Special Operation Force Component Conference. The U.S.-led UN Command invited military...

As I said before, “mercurial.”

Laura Bush in Jerusalem: I realize how unfashionable it has become to question the patriotism of people–even those who openly sympathize with our enemies or spy for other nations–but I question the patriotism of Americans who want Jonathan Pollard to be released from prison simply because he was spying for Israel. Ditto those who wanted Robert Kim released because he was spying for Korea. These men are traitors who were duly tried, convicted, and sentenced in competent courts of law....

From the N.Y. Times: The Roman Catholic Church and the Chinese government are actively exploring the re-establishment of diplomatic relations, with contacts between the sides warming to the point that the ailing John Paul II quietly received a quasi-official Chinese delegation in the Vatican late last year.

Random Prediction of the Day: I’m laying odds on North Korea not actually testing a bomb–because I’m a pessimist by nature–but if it does, South Korea will say, “How do you know it was really nuclear?,” which we might not, if it’s done underground. Which completely ignores the real point, of course: North Korea is intentionally creating the perception that it is building and testing nukes. The regime that cultivates doubts about whether they’re real should bear the risks of...

Yahoo Headline: “N. Korea nuke test would pose challenges.” There is one interesting item in the article: The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Richard Lugar (news, bio, voting record), R-Ind., said he concluded from a recent meeting with Bush that the president expected other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — including Russia and China — to join him in seeking U.N. penalties against North Korea if there were a test. China has indicated it opposes...

The Joongang Ilbo reports that discussion OPLAN 5029 contingency plans is on again, but it could just as well be that it’s back to Square One: No firm policy decisions were reached at the closed-door sessions, which took place May 10 to 12 at Yongsan Garrison, according to a participant in the meeting, who characterized it as essentially a brainstorming session. The meeting was titled the United Nations Command Special Operation Force Component Conference. The U.S.-led UN Command invited military...

As I said before, “mercurial.”