NORTH KOREA HAS FIRED SEVERAL SHORT-RANGE MISSILES INTO SEA OF JAPAN

Reuters (excerpt) ^ | May 25, 2007

[HAL9000]

RPT-NORTH KOREA HAS FIRED SEVERAL SHORT-RANGE MISSILES INTO SEA OF JAPAN-KYODO

[Reform4Bush]

Somebody call 'the Team'

[AmericanInTokyo]

Again, this is EXACTLY what I am hearing here in Northeast Asia about the US inability to respond, as well. Far and wide.

Failure, abject failure, of the Clinton and Bush Administrations.

I think this is the "it" that possible candidate Fred Thompson is referring to when he says he tours the country and talks to the people and they "know something is not right out there". I think people can sense it. You and I, as Freepers, being stationed and/or otherwise finding ourselves currently in different parts of Asia, but both picking up the same unmistakeable message about our waning power because of policy f-ups, is a cause of great concern. North Korea's actions today only feed that wider impression.

[snowsislander]

It is a VERY dangerous situation for the United States. Somehow, we have been taking all the wrong steps over the last year or so, and our enemies as well as our friends know it. Our power is going to diminish exponentially as a result, IMHO.

Yes, we have wandered onto a foolish course of appeasement over the last year. I hope that we can soon return to a wiser course soon.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Get over here quick you guys.

North Korea fired some missiles again!!!

[familyop]

It’s really saddening to contemplate the consequences to date of our abandonments of allies and haste to get friendly with certain un-friendlies over the past few decades.

[CaliGirl-R]

I caught that. The dem’s name is Jane Fleming. To me, she is hard to listen to. Dems Laurie Schwartz and Kirsten Powers I can handle better.

Ann cracks me up. When I saw Ann against Jane I said “Tear her up Ann”. I’m always talking to the TV.

[AmericanInTokyo]

According to Japanese media, this bastard:

(Screen shot from NHK TV tonight in Tokyo)

one of the top North Korean negotiators, iwas sitting down and talking with the Chief US Negotiator Chris Hill just today in Manila, over how to better North Korean-US relations. At the same time, today, Friday, they launch the missiles. I have heard no outrage or protest from Washington as of yet, the missiles were launched at least 10-12 hours ago into the Sea of Japan.

Can our foolishness and the results it precipitates, be any more apparant!?

[tiredoflaundry]

Cripes! What a story to wake up to!

[MadJack]

They’re probably getting a little long in the tooth by now, and without Wingate and his toothbrush to lead them, it wouldn’t be the same anyway.

[PapaBear3625]

When I see news like that from North Korea, I immediately wonder what the Iranian leadership is up to.

I get a feeling that North Korea is Iran's missile test site. Also, you are right in that the Navy being off Iran must make them nervous. I could see them asking NK to give the USN a reason to move east

[ken5050]

Silly you..(g)...NK is having BIG Memorial Day missile sale...gotta move 1000 units of “iron” over the three day weekend. They are overstocked. This is just prospective customers taking “test drives”

[saveliberty]

Kim Jung Il has nothing to lose by doing this. The whole situation is courtesy of James Earl Carter, who admitted that he took China out of the negotiations in the 1990s meaning that if NoKo violated rules, it’s no problem for China, just the US, and what would we do?

He wants another Clintonesque handout and he wants to continue to counterfeit US currency.

[AmericanInTokyo]

From FT

"Under a February deal, Pyongyang agreed to begin work to scrap its nuclear weapons programme, but it has demanded that formerly frozen funds in a Macau bank be transferred to North Korea first. The $25 million at Banco Delta Asia was blocked after the United States blacklisted the bank, accusing it of laundering illicit North Korean funds. ”If they were fired towards the Sea of Japan, it may be a sign that they are unhappy that the Banco Delta Asia funds are not being transferred,” Toshimitsu Shigemura, professor at Waseda University, told Nippon Television, referring to the funds issue. "

[saveliberty]

I believe that a reporter (I’m not sure if it’s Claudia Rosett) is investigating the bribes via North Korea. As they are short on cash, I have to wonder if somehow Iran may be assisting there, but Iran isn’t rolling in dough either.

[familyop]

"Can our foolishness and the results it precipitates, be any more apparant!?"

...not to me. Too many of our diplomats (and some of our military leaders) now fail to learn about how people of other cultures think. Some self-nullification (sometimes called humility) is required for such ability, IMO, and too many people allow awareness of their selves (pride) to blind them to concentrating on their tasks and to seeing the intentions of others.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #44

Could be followed by naval clash near NLL in Yellow Sea, when domestic politics in S. Korea goes in favor of conservatives.

Buckle up. It could be bumpy political year from now on.

[tiredoflaundry]

Thanks jimmuh! &^%$#@!!

[familyop]

"I get a feeling that North Korea is Iran's missile test site. Also, you are right in that the Navy being off Iran must make them nervous. I could see them asking NK to give the USN a reason to move east"
,br> Yes. Iranian engineers were present at one of North Korea's previous launches a few months ago. North Korean engineers have also been visiting Iran (as seen behind one my links in this thread). My guess is that our leadership is more afraid of what could happen to the markets (and to our nation as a result of our lack of resolve and realism) than anything else.

[AmericanInTokyo]

You have said it very well. You have noticed a phenomenon which is deeply embedded...and causes many of our failures in US foreign and military policy, IMHO. We deal from good faith, because we adhere to honor and truth, and we project that upon others who do not necessarily have that cultural (and hence geo-political) physiology...and we are terribly naive in our aberrated expectations as a result.

You can almost here them in Foggy Bottom in their Jos A Banks suits, wireframe glasses steaming over their Starbucks this morning, "But...but...but....WE HAD A DEAL!!"

[AmericanInTokyo]

It is not just Jimmy Carter (although he dug the firm foundation).