Monday, October 09, 2006

Once Again, The Pot Calls the Kettle Black

North Korea's recent testing of a nuclear device has elicited a strong response from the Democrats, and rightly so. John Kerry 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."

While the Clinton administration was offering incentives to Kim Jong II to stop his pursuit of nuclear weapons, the Bush ADDministration, in another golden moment of defining shortsightedness, decided to break off negotiations with the Jong regime. Way to go! Now look what you got.And while they never have stopped their planning of how to "deal" with Iran building a nuclear power plant, they just kind of let this madman within striking distance of the US develop WMD. Two words, one starts with an 'o', the other with an 'I'.
And once again the Republicans, in standard fall back position has chastised the Democrats for, are you ready for this, "playing partisan politics with a nuclear weapons threat." This from the people who turned playing partisan politics into an art form, blasting Democrats for being weak on national security for not allowing the president to repeatedly rape the constitution. And they've consistently played partisan politics with 9/11, even though they were the ones in charge of watching the henhouse when the tigers struck.
But by constantly calling the Democrats "weak" on national security (gee, isn't that playing politics with a threat?) the Republicans have opened themselves up to the same treatment when it can be shown that:
a). The war in Iraq has increased the threat of terrorism, not reduced it (the NIE)
b). By focusing on non-threats in the Middle East (Iran, Iraq) the Bush ADDministration has allowed real threats to become more threatening.
c).By refusing to use diplomacy at all, the Bush ADDministration has made the country less secure.
Of course, the Republicans are really grateful for this, as it allows the television-watchers attention to be turned away from the Foley-gate scandal. Of course, I don't think Kim Jong II making Bush look like a total fuck-up is going to help their case.

10 comments:

sumo said...

It's reprehensible that the Dub ignored this guy all these years and really didn't even give him status of the back burner. You get what you deserve...except you take along the good people with you in the inferno. You know they are going to try and off this little twinkie sooner or later.

pissed off patricia said...

When you name a country as one of three in the "axis of evil" and then invade one of the other countries in that axis, what do you think the other two are preparing for? Then to top it off you call off all talking with those countries, sure as shit they are going to prepare to defend themselves because they figure they're next.

Anonymous said...

Pissed Off, how right you are. I read that when Japan invaded China they were provoked because we had visited Japan in our latest greatest sea vessel. They became so paranoid that they thought if we ever wanted to attack them, they could only defend themselves if they owned more land, and that led to the invasion and the rape of Nanking occurred.

I've been reading State of Denial, and Bandar told Bush not to take his eye off of North Korea and to talk with them, keep your friends close and your enenmies closer.

Lew, it is hard to imagine how the republicans can start looking good. There is no good news in sight. Makes me worry they will bomb Iran and declare Martial Law. They have all the pieces in place, anyone who protests is an enemy combatant.

DivaJood said...

I'm no longer sure Dub ignored Il.

ABB built the nuclear reactors in N. Korea. Donald Rumsfeld served on the Board of Directors of ABB 2000-2001. The contract was awarded to ABB while Donald was on the board. In 2003, Bush sought $3.5 M for ABB - somehow, I don't believe that Bush has ignored Il at all.

azgoddess said...

and when pray tell - are we gonna stop shooting these out of our ass??

we complain and moan about others having the ability to blow up the world and yet we give the magic button to baby bush and folks....

that was a bit tongue in cheek but you get my drift...

Tina said...

Of course Rummy is up to his cheddar cheese yellow teeth (c'mon folks... don't tell me ya haven't noticed. The guy is a fricking multi-millionaire. Don't tell me he can't afford some Crest White Strips) in making money off of North Korean nukes. He and his good buddies from the Nixon cabal made millions off of arming Saddam, have made millions off of ripping off Iraqi reconstruction, and Rummy has made millions off of his Tamiflu stock... ya know... the ONLY drug that has miraculously been found to do anything about the uber-hyped bird flu. If there is a buck to be made off of making people crap their pants in fear, Rummy and his fear mongering pals are so there.

Kathy said...

Check out this article, Lew. Chris Hedges believes this is all part of a plan to bring on the apocalypse under the guidance of Eliott Abrams and an administration that sees this as a good and evil, us and them, and forces of darkness and the forces of light struggle. There is no reasoning with people like that. They see themselves as preordained by God.

The moderate Republicans let this get out of control and now there may be no turning back.

AJ said...

Hey Lew! Thanks for the visit-I miss sparring with ya.

Kathy-(above)
yes they certainly DO see themselves as 'preordained' by God, and that is scary, but there still might be forces that are "good & "evil" at work in the universe.
Don't throw out the baby with the bath water...

sumo said...

Bush is too dumb to even know what tolerate means. Dumb as dirt!

Graeme said...

everybody has gotten more powerful because of the Iraq war. What a mess