[Cementjungle]

Clinton's probably telling them to set off a few more. It's all Bush's fault you know!

[Tulsa Ramjet]

Why not? No one is going to stop them.
What, more sanctions? That's laughable. They are starving their people anyway. Oh, the united front of the UN is soooooooooooo powerful. Kim is shaking in his newly radioactive boots.

[mikeus_maximus]

More of the "Clinton Legacy".

[edcoil]

Which will come first?

Their second test or, the massive, immediate action by the UN?

[tflabo]

Calls for more celebration from the Mad Halfbright.

[SevenofNine]

Why I have bad feeling about this

[blasater1960]

Good! I hope they do. And the Republicans should be loaded for Bear. They should let the Dems have it between the eyes for they faulty...Bi-Lateral, lets hold hands, give 'em food, oil AND *Safe* nuclear technology, in exchange for a *promise* and cameras in the room.

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid appeasers.....They wont learn until thousands, perhaps millions are dead and sick from fallout.

[Brilliant]

"Congratulations, Kim."

[Kimberly GG]

I'm listening to the commentary on tv.

All I'm hearing is economic leverage, sanctions, pressure points, blah blah blah....

And for those who jumped for joy that this would knock Foley off the front page...bottom line is it doesn't matter who's more to blame, Clinton or Bush, because the dems are having a field day blaming Bush for naming NK part of the axis of evil, but for not taking care of the problem before now, which is going to be much more HUGE than Foley.

So what's he waiting for, NK to take aim?

[1035rep]

Thanks for leaving us this mess Clinton.

[SE Mom]

Well...it seems they already may have done it:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1716346/posts

[reagan_fanatic]

[RobFromGa]

From Stratfor...

Special Report: New North Korean Preparations Likely Just for Show

Summary

No sooner had the dust cleared from North Korea's first nuclear test Oct. 9 than speculation emerged about a second test. Although the North Koreans probably are capable of carrying out another test, Pyongyang can get almost as much political mileage by merely faking preparations for a second test.

Analysis

Within hours of North Korea's nuclear test Oct. 9, the head of Seoul's National Intelligence Service, Kim Seung Gyu, told South Korea's parliament that Pyongyang might be preparing a follow-on nuclear test at its Ponggye site in the country's northeast. Kim said increased activity, vehicles and personnel have been observed at the site, which was originally believed to be where the first North Korean nuclear test would take place.

The North's Oct. 9 test, now believed to have taken place in the Hwadae area, was about a 4.2 on the Richter scale, which would be consistent with more than 1,000 tons of high explosives, or one kiloton. Other estimates have put the blast at around 550 tons of high explosives. In either case, the blast was very small compared to past and current nuclear weapons.

A second nuclear test certainly is within North Korea's capabilities. It is widely believed that Pyongyang possesses six to eight nuclear devices and material enough to produce a few more.

The relatively small explosive yield of the test suggests that the North Korean device failed to function properly, though it could also mean that the North Koreans wanted to test their design on a smaller scale before conducting a full-scale test. If that is the case, Pyongyang, now confident in the effectiveness of its device, could be preparing a full-effect test.

The preparations at Ponggye cited by Kim, however, could be just for show. North Korea might be seeking to capitalize politically on the first test by making the world think a second test is imminent. This would be useful for keeping those countries that are most concerned with its nuclear capabilities -- the United States, Japan, South Korea and China -- off balance. With elections set for 2007 in South Korea and U.S. midterm elections only weeks away, the political magnitude of the North's test might exceed what was actually measured on the Richter scale.

This behavior is consistent with Pyongyang's strategy in dealing with the United States, Japan, South Korea and China, part of which is delaying a solution to the nuclear crisis for as long as possible. Keeping these countries off balance and jittery over the possibility of another test prevents them from acting decisively. The indecision keeps them from being unified in their response, and the resulting lack of unity gives North Korea time and leverage.

North Korea's intent with its first nuclear test was to shock the world and demonstrate that it has the will and capability to carry out its threats. That was accomplished. From Pyongyang's perspective, there is little need for a second test. Just about the only reason the North Koreans would have for conducting a second test is that they have constructed two types of nuclear devices -- plutonium and uranium -- and want to test them both. Given their meager resources, the North Koreans are not likely to waste material to carry out two explosions of the same type.

In this sense, the preparations at Ponggye are similar to the activity at North Korea's missile test sites in the days and weeks following the July 4 test launch of the Taepodong-2 missile. After the test launch, a second Taepodong-2 was set up in plain view of U.S. reconnaissance satellites. The speculation about follow-on launches that followed caused the same kind of political tension that Pyongyang is hoping to foster now. About a month later, the North Koreans took the missile down.

[excludethis]

FIRST ONE A DUD?

[CaptainCanada]

[Paul Heinzman]

Jeeze--now he's just wasting them like a kid with a few M-80's and some model ships. Blow up one and you're letting the world knos you have 'em. Anything more is just a buck-toothed punk giggling and say "Rooky rookey--me make you big 'splosion!"

[bnelson44]

I have been out all day, was the 1st test a dud?

[Diggity]

Cuz he's so wonely, so wonely.

[Utah Binger]

Just my opinion, however, what would it take to send a secret mission to explode a device in NK? Then we say they had a major FU with their stuff. I say knock them out in secret!

[HushTX]

I hear a lot of talk about how small the yield supposedly was. A lot of people saying it wasn't as big as previously used or tested weapons elsewhere. A lot of talk about moving it by submarine or missile.

Why is nobody mentioning that it may have been a suitcase nuke? The approximate yield of a suitcase nuke is 5 kilotons. The approximate yield of the recent test was between 5 and 15.

Mind the ports, men. Watch the airports. The war is coming.