Posted on 12/13/2012 4:06:57 PM PST by kristinn
The Obama administration's Asia team was caught so off guard by North Korea's Dec. 11 rocket launch, several of them actually had to put down their drinks and suddenly leave a holiday party being held in honor of the Japanese emperor's birthday.
Several top U.S. officials dealing with Asia and North Korea from the State Department, the Pentagon, and the National Security Council were relaxing Tuesday night at the Japanese ambassador's Nebraska Avenue residence in Washington when the news came over their blackberries that North Korea had launched another Unha-3 rocket with a "satellite" attached, this time with much more success than a previous attempt in April.
Just minutes before the launch news became known, several officials were overheard remarking how nice it was that North Korea was apparently delaying the launch, giving U.S. North Korea watchers hope that their holiday festivities would not be interrupted.
"Nobody in the U.S. government thought this would happen when it did," said one top Asia expert who attended the party. "A lot of the guys who do the Korea stuff both on the policy and intelligence side were at this thing. They were saying ‘We bought ourselves some time.' People were hoping it didn't happen before Christmas because they wanted to take time off."
SNIP
But several attendees at the Japanese emperor's birthday celebration told The Cable that the fact so many Asia officials were not at their desks illustrated how surprised the administration was about the timing of the launch.
"Everybody stood down. Nobody thought they were going to do it this week. It was a real head fake by the North Koreans," another top Asia expert and party attendee said. "DOD, State, and the White House were just stunned by it. They were shocked."
(Excerpt) Read more at thecable.foreignpolicy.com ...
The Incompetent One disengaged and hiding under his bed again!
The ideology of political correctness leads to death. It is so full of lies and twisted purposes. It’s like living in a fog of ignorance, waiting to get hit by the next car speeding by.
That line about “buying ourselves some time-—” is fascinating. Time for what? Party time? And now that they don’t have any more “time” what the flock are they gonna do about it?
Barky spanked again.
Sure he wasn't playing Chevy Chase, or maybe Hidden Creek out in Reston? (That sounds exclusive and posh enough for Barky.)
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