Rumsfeld Ready to whip N. Korea, too!

We have to realize that our enemies will always win the propaganda war in the international press - we will have to settle for being feared rather than loved.

The genius of Machiavelli. It is not only better to be feared than loved it is essential. While you can give other nations reasons to love you, you must always give those who can harm you reasons to fear you.

China is more a threat to us that all the other rogue nations, combined. This is a country that has prepared for a war to defeat the United States for more than a decade. Nothing has changed that. What other country has threatened to nuke Las Angeles? And they have the capability and resources to carry out that threat. China's interest in the booty of owning American soil, far outweighs their temporary loss of income.

It would be wise to re-evaluate the real threats in the world, rather than continue with this politically correct delusion.

...It must be pretty bad if you want to 'escape' to China...

All you China bashers!!! Pay attention.....

China is the Asian hegemon and will, at the appropriate time, deal with North Korea.

Like Singapore in 1941, North Korea has all its guns pointing in the wrong direction and is powerless to prevent invasion from China. All China has to do is mobilise and the saber rattleing will stop.

"With a Chamberlain-style appeaser in Seoul, our options are limited.

Repeat after me..."Devastating surgical airstrikes on nuclear sites." Now, one more time...."Devastating surgical airstrikes on nuclear sites." There, now you should feel be feeling better. Get a good night's sleep and please read this post in the morning. Happy Holidays from Alaska.

It's true that North Korea is China's client state, but there is a limit to what they will tolerate. Today, unlike 1953, the Chinese have heavy investments and a booming trade with Japan and South Korea. The last time the North Koreans attacked the South, it cost the Chinese a million casualties to restore the antebellum boundaries. This time, a North Korean assault will fall on Chinese investments and business and any "rescue" of Kim Jong Il will cost them more than the last time.

And if the Nokors attack, the US must go to war because Camp Red Cloud is right in the path of any North Korean thrust. The smart betting is that North Korea will stay in its cage, at least for the immediate future.

Ironically, the current crisis has been caused by a combination of containment and appeasement: a kind of diplomatic bulemia. Containment very nearly brought the Pyongyang regime to its knees, but Clinton feared that Kim would lash out in his final agony and gave him a slug of money to "ease his pain". The result is that Kim is lashing out with the wad of cash that President Clinton gave him.

North Korea is now thoroughly unstable. Both containment and appeasement, or any combination thereof, could push Pyongyang over the edge. Bottom line: North Korea is imploding. If they come across, they will be destroyed. If they stay in place, they will collapse in situ. Either way, the long years of division on the peninsula will soon be over.

I could not condone your suggestion of planting some untraceable explosive device to affect regime change. The N. Koreans are not stupid an dsuch dire action could make the tension worse. N. Korea has a 1.2 million person army, btw. We do not have the manpower to counter such an assault.

I do believe that N. Korea will implode under its own weight as the Soviet Union was destined to do. The most logical course right now, to me, is to continue with the diplomatic measures. The NK leadership will eventually burn itself out.

"China's economy is massively dependent on the USA....they simply cannot afford to go to war against us at this time."

I agree with you, but I want to add one thing: My understanding is that Beijing is truly not interested in anything that could stall their rapid economic growth. They are beginning to realize their long term interests (whether noble or not) are best served by world stability and a rich Chinese economy.

No, Beijing would sooner slap up Kim Jong Il themselves rather than allow N. Korea to destabilize the entire globe with their infantile behavior.

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