Posted on 08/04/2017 4:05:20 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
I don’t ordinarily do this, but I want to clear up what I said yesterday about North Korea and nukes. This time, I’ll say it in the plainest language possible.
Fifteen years ago, it’s possible that diplomacy could have stopped North Korea from developing nuclear weapons. That’s certainly what I thought. It’s also possible that heavy sanctions could have done it. It’s even possible that military action could have done it, though that would have been very risky for reasons that everyone knows about—though here’s a map in case you don’t:
None of this is true anymore. North Korea already has nuclear weapons. They have a productive source of fissile material. They’re very close to developing a reliable ICBM, and probably close to developing a nuclear warhead small enough for their ICBMs. That’s what the DIA thinks, anyway. And North Korea has made it crystal clear that developing a nuclear deterrent capability against the United States is their #1 national priority.
Liberals like to think that maybe more diplomacy will stop North Korea’s nuclear program. It won’t. Conservatives like to think that tougher sanctions, or possibly military force, will stop their nuclear program. They won’t. Donald Trump likes to pretend that China can stop their nuclear program. They either can’t or won’t. Like it or not, this is where we are.
There are only two options left. Either we accept a nuclear-armed North Korea or we launch a nuclear strike to take out their capabilities. Since a nuclear strike is insane for too many reasons to list—including the fact that it might not even work—this means we really have no options at all. We can, if we want, maintain a hostile attitude toward North Korea as a signal to others about the price of developing nukes, but we basically have to accept the reality that North Korea is a nuclear state.
This is what I think could use some plainer language from national security types. Let’s knock off the fantasy op-eds full of vague talk about China and sanctions and diplomacy. Instead, tell people the bald truth. It would give the hawks some pause, and might even reduce the pressure that could lead someone like Donald Trump to do something stupid. This is, unfortunately, something we all have to think about these days.
Yeah, there is.
But we won’t.
Mother Jones, huh? Taking it with a grain of salt. Hell I’ll take it with the entire salt mine.
A computer program and reliable hardware could wipe them all out in milliseconds if launched with no proximity latency.
Or go big and use tactical nuclear and follow up with chemical rubble bouncers.
The abrupt acceleration in missile tech alarms me.
Still, I’m dubious they could weaponize the missiles and observe the same range. I also doubt the number of missiles they could now field.
I think the next year is basically our last chance.
Freaking MOTHER JONES has been for decades popping a boner at the mere thought of SOME Marxist somewhere —ANYWHERE— dictating terms to The West.
It is their wet dream.
OF COURSE they want to tell us it’s too late.
Just find the Rock the Young Un lives under and BOOM ,done
The sky is falling.... Let’s all give up! /sarcasm
Obama did something STUPID for the previous 8 years........I really wish Leftists would take responsibility for our current circumstances. Yes, we knew that the Norks had nuclear weapons in 2002. They made it clear right after Jimmy Carter received the Nobel Peace prize for brokering the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty with the Norks. And no, Carter didn’t return the money or the award. But the only excuse GWB has is that he was busy with the prosecution of the War on Terror. The Left has made an absolute MESS of the world. THAT is what we need to confront. And the only real deterrent for the Norks is they Know they would be COMPLETELY DESTROYED if they use a Nuc on anyone else.
Put a 100% embargo on all Chinese goods and Chinese companies that do business with NK and this would all end very quickly.
They are admitting that Obama dropped the ball by doing nothing? How amazing for them to actually tell the truth for once.
At a minimum you could stop it with the a-bomb.
It was diplomacy that lead to North Korea having nuclear weapons. Clinton basically gave North Korea fast breeder reactors with the promise that they wouldn’t use them to make weapons. And the Democrats trusted them. Now we have a nuclear North Korea. Thanks Democrats.
Kill the little SOB with cruise missiles at the next military parade. Then his Generals will be killing each other for the newly opened dictator job.
“Obama did something STUPID for the previous 8 years”
This assumes Obongo genuinely wanted to stop the NK’s. I don’t think we can make that assumption.
Have they considered dropping a nuke on Kim and all his generals while he’s giving a speech?
Yep, Mother Jones, one of the original progressive rags, but even a blind squirrel can stumble upon a nut, or possibly the truth. Can any one name an acknowledged nuclear power that America has attacked? Even with President Trump, the nation does not have the stomach for a first strike, be it nuclear or conventional. Unfortunately Fat Boy Kim, with the PRC's backing, can name his price. All of this falls back on the last three administrations.
Screw this defeatist leftist. Do we want a NK with 100 nukes? Will we allow millions to die because we don’t want to be the first to use nukes? Destroy NK, its leadership and its capability and do it now. Because they or their proxies WILL use the nukes on us.
I blame Bush mre than Obama. He promised the American people he would “never allow the worlds most dangerous regimes” to get nukes, then did nothing when they did. It’s also worth noting that all those intelligence agencies that now say the Russians “meddled” in our election without evidence said at the time that NK was 3-5 years from getting a nuke.
The whole point of this article is to try and stop Trump from taking military action.
I really hope there is a way to take them out with their own nukes. That would have the unfortunate effect of dumping a humanitarian crisis on China, but that the humanitarian crisis exists is mostly their fault.
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