Posted on 10/09/2006 4:26:58 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
Democrats assail Bush's N. Korea policy
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer 13 minutes ago
Democrats seized on North Korea's brazen act to criticize President Bush's record in confronting the communist regime, contending the administration's focus on Iraq ignored legitimate threats.
Democratic Sen. John Kerry, the president's rival in 2004 and a potential 2008 candidate, assailed Bush's policy as a "shocking failure," and said, "While we've been bogged down in Iraq where there were no weapons of mass destruction, a madman has apparently tested the ultimate weapon of mass destruction."
One month before midterm elections, North Korea's reported nuclear test provided Republicans an opportunity to shift the focus from their embarrassing — and politically explosive — congressional page scandal to national security, an issue the GOP considers its strength.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (news, bio, voting record) of Kentucky, the Senate's second-ranking Republican, accused Democrats of playing partisan politics with a nuclear weapons threat. "Listening to some Democrats, you'd think the enemy was George Bush, not Kim Jong Il," he said.
Seizing on North Korea's actions to argue Republicans are stronger on security than Democrats is riddled with pitfalls and leaves the GOP's standard-bearer — Bush — as well as his rank-and-file vulnerable to criticism.
The president long has faced complaints that he has failed to sufficiently address North Korea and the threat has festered on his watch.
In the nearly five years since Bush labeled North Korea part of an "axis of evil" with Iran and Iraq, Kim Jong Il's government has withdrawn from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, announced it has nuclear weapons, refused to return to six-nation talks and launched seven missiles into the Sea of Japan, including a long-range Taepodong-2.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
1994 North Korea prepares to remove the Yongbyon fuel rods from their storage site. North Korea expels international weapons inspectors and withdraws from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Clinton asks the United Nations Security Council to consider sanctions. North Korean spokesmen proclaim such sanctions would cause war.
Clinton balks and sets up a diplomatic back-channel to end the crisis — former President Jimmy Carter. Exceeding instructions, Carter negotiates the outlines of a treaty and announces the terms live on CNN.
North Korea promises to renew its commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, lock up the fuel rods, and let inspectors back in to monitor the facility.
The United States agrees that it will provide two light-water nuclear reactors for electricity, send a large supply of fuel oil, and that it will not invade North Korea.
http://newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/10/9/132140.shtml?s=im
John Kerry is a joke of a human being. A traitor to his country, a man who leans left but has no core convictions, a vile politician that only survives because the MSM cheerlead and cover for him.
Kerry's NK policy would have been worse. Bush did fail to stop NK from testing nukes, but at least we don't waste nearly as much money paying them off to lie to us under this administration. NK would have done the same under a Kerry administration, only we would have propped them up along the way and made them a more dangerous advisary.
I personally feel that Iraq has been such a disaster that it has rendered the Bush administration pretty much impotent when it comes to NK and Iran. Saying that, I'd rather have a weakened Bush than a Kerry administration of any strength.
Blast from the past...
Opinion piece from the Las Vegas Review Journal
1998
"A CRAZED FOREIGN POLICY
Bill Clinton lays gifts at feet of totalitarians"
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/1998/Oct-02-Fri-1998/opinion/8327079.html
John Kerry and his ilk make me ill.
Every thing is Bush’s fault, everything from the debacle in the Garden of Eden right up to the latest (negative) news headlines. If something happens in the world negative, it is Bush’s fault … really getting sick of it./ rant off
Gee do you think chrissy matthews remembers ANY of this???
But don't forget kerry and his magic hat. Everything will be alright once he's prez!
The only shocking failure is Lantern Face's opportunistic and selfish life.
Yes, I would agree. However, these were policies set in place by former (under the desk) Pres. Clintooooon. By selling kim jong dingbat the nuclear technology to develop the “bomb”, I think he is totally to blame.
As an aside, I think Pres. Bush is being a sly ol’ fox again. By letting (and I mean “let”) kim jong dingbat pursue his nuclear ambitions he is forcing the regional powers (e.g. Japan, S. Korea, Russia and China) into a position where they have to handle this problem … after all, it in their best interests to shut this nut down. IMHO.
Oh, I'm sure the test wouldn't have happened if Commodore Kerry had been in the White House.
Thanks to Clinton's 1994 Agreement with North Korea--Clinton gave them two nuclear reactors, and helped the NK economy to PAY for their nukes by giving them the financial means to do so (fuel oil and cash aid--in addition to the nuclear reactors).
No one, and I mean NO ONE--helped North Korea to develop nukes more than Bill Clinton.
I guess that John Kerry forgot all about that. His memory is 'very, very selective' anyway.
They are up to their necks in poop. If the electorate is stupid enough to give Democrats any more influence in international affairs, they deserve what they get.
why are you posting this.....clinton did as much for stopping this dope in north korea as he did in killing bin laden....just wait until he is interviewed again by chris wallace....he will set the story straight...it is the vast right wing conspiracy...hey clinton did send the other dope... albright to dance with the dope in north korea...that should have stopped all nuclear pursuits!!!
I get so sick of this Bush bashing Bullshit I could puke.
Personally I have reached the point of being a broken glass republican. Although I have always voted for whom I thought was the best Candidate I will vote straight Republican this year if they run a dead skunk.
In other words, Bush was right.
Kim Jong Il would probably prefer to have Kerry, Gore or some other socialist/Democrat in the White House. So would the terrorists, Iran, Chavez, Syria...
The Democrats are allies of the terrorists, socialists, and rogue regimes.
They are the ones that gave North Korea the ingredients for making a nuclear weapon, supposedly to be used for "peaceful purposes," such as providing electricity to their impoverished people.
The North Korean people are still without electrical power, but now they have a nuclear weapon.
Their handlers have told them if they do not feed the Left with predictable pap daily, they cannot keep their hardcore 30% in a constant, radicalized state of agitation, and they'll simply stay home on Election Day.
It's also the Rule of Inches in newsprint. The MSM is strident when it comes to reporting every urp of DUmmy [verbal] Diarrhea, in turn it knocks something more newsworthy off the page and often out of the paper altogether.
I wish any MSM would revive the DEM stance on how dangerous Sadam Hussein was and how he HAD to be stopped. Then, contrast that with the bellicose rantings of those same morons and see how they can reconcile their pre-Iraq War stance on Sadam, their Post-Iraq War stance on Sadam and their REACTION to DPRK nuke test.
I agree with you. I normally vote only in presidential elections, however, this year I will vote and vote straight Republican ticket.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.