The NorKs upped the ante

I think it's about time we took this runt out. After the nuclear test on Monday, lighting off a long range missile, and three short range missiles this runt has the audacity to directly threaten South Korea:

North Korea announced Wednesday that it is no longer bound by the 1953 armistice that halted the Korean War, the latest and most profound diplomatic aftershock from the country's latest nuclear test two days earlier.

North Korea also warned that it would respond "with a powerful military strike" should its ships be stopped by international forces trying to stop the export of missiles and weapons of mass destruction.

The twin declarations, delivered by the country's state news agency, followed South Korea's announcement Tuesday that it would join the navies that will stop and inspect suspicious ships at sea. North Korea has repeatedly said that such participation would be a "declaration of war."

They followed other developments in North Korea that have added to the sense of jangled nerves across northeast Asia since Monday's underground nuclear test.

The North fired three more short-range missiles off its east coast on Tuesday, said Yonhap, the South Korean news agency. North Korea had fired two missiles into the same waters on Monday.

And U.S. spy satellites have detected signs that North Korea has restarted its nuclear plant, a South Korean newspaper reported Wednesday. Chosun Ilbo cited an unnamed South Korean government source as saying that steam has been detected from a reprocessing facility at North Korea's Yongbyon plant.

He's proceeding with nuke tests, which is against the UN sanctions on his regime. He's testing missiles which is another violation of UN resolutions. He's threatening South Korea, and by default Japan. And the best reaction Barry has is a strongly-worded condemnation? Dear Lord, who is running the show in DC?

Kim didn't take Barry seriously from the word go, and the apology tour in Europe just reinforced what he believed about him: Barry is a push-over. When he conducted his missile test back in April, and Barry backed off the missile defense system, he knew he had him right where he wanted him. Look, Kim is a whack-job, but he's not stupid. He's not going to play chicken with the dozen or so warheads he's got right now. But he could go to war with the South in an effort to prove his mettle. He'd lose, of course, because the South Koreans are better trained and equipped, and they have the backing of the United States. If Kim is foolish enough to launch a nuke on the South, they'll have to contend with us, and regional powers like China.

We could put this little runt in his place if we gave the South nuclear weapons, and if we gave Japan the same. Japan is the problem nation because they don't want nukes but with Kim acting this way, Japan is rightly worried. Barry decided that there was no need for a missile defense system, and without that Japan is vulnerable. The only other possibility of containing Kim is if the regional powers form an alliance to oppose him, which if Barry fails to act they may have no other choice. (No, I don't think that would ever happen, but geopolitics offers strange bed-fellows.)

We have to do something here, and sitting on our hands or running to the UN just isn't going to cut it. Barry should make an announcement that missile defense is back on the table, and open talks with the Japanese to offer them nukes.

Of course, this is Barry we're talking about here, and he might embark on another apology tour if he makes those announcements. After all, he thinks runts like Kim just need a hug and some attention.

Publius II