Trouble brewing in (Workers') Paradiseby JohnHuang2
One thing you can say for sure is that, when it comes to lobbing wild accusations at the U.S., there have been no shortage of 'em from North Korea. The calumnies and invectives just keep rolling in. Heck, lil' Kimmy gives even Grey Lady Howell Raines a run for his money.
Another thing that's pretty clear: Pyongyang is nowhere near as isolated as commonly assumed.
To illustrate, take Pyongyang's charge that the U.S. is deliberately "increasing [the danger] of a nuclear war on the Korean peninsula due to the U.S. criminal policy." Pretty heavy stuff, I'd say. I hear Bush is fond of Winter, but Nuclear Winter? Dunno about you, but sounds to me like Kimmy may have over-reached.
Washington calls this accusation preposterous, noting that tension began only after disclosures Pyongyang surreptitiously sought nukes in violation of key provisions of the Kimmy-Jimmy-Bubba landmark 1994 'Framework Agreement.' Kimmy lied to Jimmy -- what a concept!
 Democrats in Washington, however, are having none of it. They back the North Korean position, accusing the Bush administration of inflaming the atmosphere, indeed, of provoking the 'crisis' itself after labeling North Korea part of an 'Axis-of-Evil' with Iran and Iraq during the State of the Union Address last January. Bush's rhetoric, not Kimmy Jong-Il, is the real threat to peace on the Korean peninsula, say Democrats.
Why, how dare Bush call a rogue genocidal murderous psychopath a rogue genocidal murderous psychopath!? Tell me, what's worse, starving 3 million people to death, or calling Kimmy evil for starving 3 million people to death, ummmm? Democrats call that a no-brainer: Labeling Kimmy evil is, well, evil -- eviler by far! Look, Kimmy ain't no sweetheart, but the lil' Pyongyang dude's never tried to slip arsenic in drinking water, cut taxes for the rich or nominate Charles Pickering to the bench.
Here I'll cut Democrats some slack, for consistency, if nothing else. Kimmy is a murderous tyrant, yes, but murderous tyrants have always commanded broad respect and admiration from Democrats (see Uncle Joe, Lenin, Mao, Pol Pot, Castro, Ortega, Arafat, Saddam, Amin, Mugabe, Osama, etc.), so there's nothing really new here. I mean, think about it, if you were a leftie, who would you go for -- a former Texas oilman who loves to cut taxes and drive a pick-up truck during breaks at his ranch versus a Leftie re-distributionist revolutionary a la Kimmy, who, for all his warts, never abandoned such wonderfully progressive innovations as collective farms, labor camps and Gulags? C'mon -- no way would you go for the oil guy.
(But, hey, Bush isn't blameless, either. Note that Kimmy started breaking the "Framework Agreement" 3 whole years BEFORE Bush's 'Axis-of-Evil' speech. So how did Kimmy know? Ah, Kimmy has this secret decoder, you see, Kimmy knew Bush would soon be President, heard that 'Axis-of-Evil' speech in advance, which sent Kimmy scrambling back into nuke-building. Now do you comprende?)
The KPRK, moreover, accuses Washington of spreading "false" 'rumors' about Pyongyang as part of a campaign to pressure South Korea to jettison its 'Sunshine Policy.' Evil Bush, says Kimmy, is trying to drive a wedge between the Koreas. If "reconciliation" (Translation: Commie-hell-hole-North-swallows-South) has come-a-cropper, blame bully Bush.
Again, Democrats say Kimmy is right -- Pyongyang has reason to be troubled by Bush's 'unilateralist,' 'cowboy' brand foreign policy. Kimmy, whose environmentalism gets high marks from groupies like the Sierra Club, has every right to feel offended, frightened even, by Bush's snubbing the Kyoto accords. Breaking existing agreements is one thing, says Kimmy, but snubbing agreements your country never even entered into, why, that's a bridge too far!
The Kimmy Principle: First, sign the agreement, promise you'll abide by it, then, but only then, may you violate it -- that's the only decent way to go about it.
But for all the staunch Democrat support for lil' Kimmy in his showdown with 'Bully' Bush, I see big trouble brewing in (workers') paradise, folks. Democrats are beginning to grumble. And the grumbling grows louder by the hour.
What's all the fuss about? Well, it seems Kimmy blew it over the weekend. His yapping and yelping about "smashing United States nuclear maniacs" in "a Holy War" and the prattle about burning the U.S. in a "Sea of Fire" has alienated many Democrats.
No, the problem isn't the stuff about "smashing the United States" or burning the U.S. in a "Sea of Fire," that's understandable, even laudable, say Democrats. But many are offended by Kimmy, staunch, life-long atheist, using terms like 'Holy War' and 'Sea of Fire', the latter a veiled take from the Bible book of Revelation which mentions a "Lake of Fire" reserved for the wicked.
"Look, I believe firmly in strict Church-State separation," one senior Democrat complained, "and this 'holy war' talk smacks of Kim compromising his principles."
 "I'm getting a little disillusioned," moaned another Democrat, verging on tears. "What's Kim doing? Wooing the religious right? This 'holy war' stuff only alienates his base here in the Democrat Party; the Religious Right will never fall for it, anyway. Sheesh, what a waste of political capital!"
Before you dismiss it all as Lovers' spat, think again: Deepening the growing rift with U.S. Democrats, North Korea announced Friday it's withdrawing from the landmark Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Given Pyongyang's track-record of treaty violations, this move means Kimmy will probably now abide by it (a la the Kimmy Principle), angering lefties who say somebody -- SOMEBODY! -- needs to stand up to bully Bush.
The one solace for Democrats: The 'crisis' with North Korea distracts Bush, temporarily at least, from pursuing Iraq.
Then again, for foes of military action, everything -- and anything -- can be made into a distraction.
Headlines like "Venezuela Crisis Complicates Iraq Situation, Experts Say", this one from the New York Times, are typical.
What's next? Get ready for Lieberman Entry Into '04 Presidential Sweepstakes Complicates Iraq Situation, Experts Say.
Or, Gov. Davis Plagiarizing Clinton Speech Complicates Iraq Situation, Experts Say.
Britney Spears' Possible Reconciliation With Former Lover Complicates Iraq Situation, Experts Say.
Oh, speaking of Joe Lieberman, it's official, folks, he's in -- wait ...what's so funny all of a sudden? Whatcha laughing at?...;^)
Anyway, that's...
My two cents..
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