Posted on 06/23/2006 11:20:54 AM PDT by West Coast Conservative
Former Vice President Walter Mondale said Friday he supports a pre-emptive U.S. strike against a North Korean missile, saying the U.S. should tell North Korea to dismantle the missile or "we are going to take it out."
"I think it would end the nuclear long-range dreams of this dangerous country," said Mondale, who was the 1984 Democratic presidential nominee and a former U.S. ambassador to Japan.
The tensions are over North Korea's apparent preparations to test-fire a Taepodong-2 missile, which is believed to have a range of up to 9,300 miles. That would make it capable of hitting much of the U.S. mainland.
Mondale, 78, said North Korea already has nuclear weapons and its ambition to develop a long-range missile is "one of the most dangerous developments in recent history." It's so dangerous, he said, because of the nation's isolation from the international community and its unpredictable leader, Kim Jong Il.
"Here's this bizarre, hermit kingdom over there with a paranoid leader getting ready to test a missile system that can hit us," Mondale said.
Former President Clinton's defense secretary, William Perry, also advocated a pre-emptive strike in The Washington Post, but National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley brushed aside Perry's suggestion. Mondale spoke about a pre-emptive strike during an appearance on WCCO-AM in Minneapolis.
Mondale and President Jimmy Carter took office in 1976 and were defeated by Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980. Mondale lost as the Democratic presidential nominee in 1984. He was appointed ambassador to Japan in 1993 and is now practicing law in Minneapolis.
exactly!
This is why we can't pre-emptive strike NK - unless we're willing to write off Seoul, South Korea, and everyone who lives there along with the SEA economy.
Would we really sit around and do absolutely nothing to stop North Korea from destroying Seoul? I imagine that it would take a considerable length of time to actually accomplish such a feat, even with 250,000 tubes and launchers.
All it takes is for one or more of those shells to have a WMD warhead.
We can't stop them all, and it's certain that they have *at least* one WMD (bio or chem) warhead loaded...
One chemical shell would destroy all of Seoul?
Someone's been reading too many "penny dreadfuls."
No, of course not, but it would empty the city even in the unaffected areas. Seoul would be out of commission and empty for the duration, at the very least. Well, until NBC cleanup teams could decontaminate the entire city.
As a pacifist I see stopping this missile from ever flying as the best way to nip-in-the-bud certain future horrors. We would be nothing more than destroying a machine. Think of the human lives in the balance. This one is a no-brainer. North Korea does not need such a dangerous weapon. Neither do we, and I wish we would destroy our's at the same time
Gee, I hope I don't get banned.
They're still looking for the illusive impeachment act.
You must be able to remove the brain in the new addition.
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