No one outside the GOP cares what Mehlman says, just as no one in the GOP cares what Dean says; and many in the GOP itself are tired of the Mehlman agenda being a clone of the appeasing U.S. State Department agenda, when it comes to foreign affairs - words, words, words that amount to empty threats, providing no sticks to go with the constant diplomatic carrots.
The North Koreans tested a nuke because it was not given to China that letting Kim mentally ill do so would threaten China's economic relationship with us - no sticks.
China's statements today will prove their "cooperation" as for public consumption alone when everyone sees that no UN sanctions of any material concern will materialize.
Burns et al have relied on a one-way (their way) relationship with China, where China gets to pretend they are helping, and the US gets to pretend that Chinese "help" is making a difference.
All of this is not the GWB foreign policy we elected in 2000 and 2004.
Really? (a) It's not Mehlman's agenda. He does not set foreign policy
(b) There is no military solution . If they mount missiles capable of hitting the US onto their platforms we can shoot them down. But there is no feasible military solution that doesn't kill millions of people for the broader picture.
By drawing other parties into the talks we have toughened S Korea which reduced supplies to NK, toughened Japan which will surely change its constitution and begin building nukes and enlarging its military, toughened China which is largely restrained by fear of millions of NK's crossing their border as refugees.
A multi-national solution after what Clinton left us (a NK well on its way to nuclear arms) is all that's left.