Timmer:

The partisanship in American politics will never cease to amaze me. It seems to your political debates centre very much on mudslinging and not much more.

Your blog is one of the few Republican blogs where a centrist like me doesn't get called most names under the sun.

As regards N. Korea's "nuclear capabilities", they remain very limited, IMHO. Trying to make weapons grade Pu-239 (with only minimal amounts of the higher isotopes 240, 241 and 242) is difficult using a commercial light water reactor. In my view the loons in that "country" are merely dabbling with "nukulear technology" and sabre-rattling: they sure got the US rattled alright but what's new? You guys are so easily rattled it's unreal. It remains unclear whether their test was anything near successful or whether it was half a fizzle.

But I suggest you don't wait a second more, send in the boys now! Before it's too late! Quick, quick, presto, pronto!!! Before you lose the lower house!!
Gert | Homepage | 10.11.06 - 11:15 am | #

As usual, Timmer to the webwaves as cheerleader for ‘Blame Democrats First’ brigade, an ideological manifestation of conservatives’ state of denial which dictates that there is nothing wrong with US policy, foreign or domestic, that cannot be sheeted home to the Dems one way or the other.

Of course, the Repubs never do any wrong; their intentions are pure, their actions beyond reproach, and when reality encroaches upon their delusions and they are reminded that they, too, have, intentionally or not, made mistakes, the reminders are told to ‘Get over it! and to ‘Move on!’ It’s ‘Ancient History’ they cry, ‘there’s no point in playing the “blame game”!’ (Conservatives’ favourite pastime whenever they see an opportunity). ‘What is important now’, they counsel, ‘is to work out what to do about the situation going forward’. Personal responsibility? Not for them! ‘Don’t do as we do’ proclaim Repubs, ‘do as we say!’

So we on the left sigh deeply and attempt, yet again, to unscramble the revisionist history offered by our blinkered, hate-filled brethren on the right and explain one or two salient points.

In 1989 the CIA discover that NK are fixing a bomb. Who’s watch was that? Reagan? Or Bush? Took the CIA ten years to figure it out? Gee, they were on the ball, huh?

Anyhoo, your main beef seems to be that Clinton did not, go in with all guns blazing, an act that would surely have incurred the wrath of China, and others, and really have accelerated the arms race. Clinton did the right thing, which resulted in no bomb making for ten years.

When the CIA, under Clinton, began investigating Pakistan’s Dr ‘Strangelove’ Kahn, the guy who sold NK their toys, they were told to back off by the WH for fear of upsetting the his backers, the Saudis Gee, they just keep popping up, huh? And what happened to Khan? They even let him keep the money!

The situation is simple. If Clinton hadn’t have negotiated with NK, god knows HOW many weapons they’d have by now. Lots, certainly. Bush’s ‘moral purity’ stance is all very well (if not rather quaint) but it does show his immense naivety when it comes to real politick. When Bush then starts ramping up the absurd ‘Axis of Evil’™ rhetoric, NK quite naturally gets the hump

Bush retreats from the agreed framework and so NK pulls its fuel rods out of the garage, but Bush STILL does nothing. No diplomacy, no negotiations, nada. NK even offered to put them back if only the WH promised to honour its commitments but Bush wasn’t having any.

Bush could have stopped this and he didn’t, and any amount of 20/20 hindsight won’t fix that; it was a Repub. controlled Congress that refused to authorise the finances promised by the US.

Reagan gave Saddam a fully functioning arsenal of WMD, but apparently that’s OK by Repubs. Clinton stops NK from building one and he is vilified. Bush reverses that and he’s a hero. GOP world is truly nuts.

Cheers

Elroy
Elroy | 10.15.06 - 11:15 pm | #