To say Bush 41 would have played it differently; thats questionable.
Speculation, yes. But Bush's ceasefire (and it WAS, effectively, Bush's) with Saddam was a good, tough agreement. It was only after Clinton allowed it to decay that the agreement became unworkable. Bush 41 understood fully the importance of verifiability and frankly, had a much better grasp on what the threats were.
The pact may have been different, but the aims probably would have stayed the same as always; contain NK until it can be dealt with.
Containment would have been fine; had NK been contained we would not have this problem today. That agreement was NOT containment. It was appeasement. "We will give you this if you promise not to do that (that, which you aren't supposed to be doing in the first place)". Paint it how you like, the agreement that was made both incompetent and insufficient.
Bill might have also with the same circumstances.
With respect, I totally disagree with this statement. Clinton could NEVER have shown the kind of strength Bush has shown. Not in a million years. Clinton has the backbone of a snake, and his presidency is replete with bad choices made by a weak president.
so 1 nuke isn't all that fearsome
One nuke placed in downtown Seoul will kill a lot of people; Bio/Chem weapons delivered by artillery 20 miles away can kill just as many. The fact that we have more is immaterial. NK having these weapons has undoubtedly already had an effect on how we are dealing with NK.
My bet is that within a month, China will put its foot down and decide the NK problem, without the US having to fire a shot.
I, too, think this is a likely scenario. However, it may or may not address the problem of NK exports of these technologies (weapons as well as delivery systems) to anyone with sufficient funds -- this being the most important reason we need it dealt with.
We are certainly facing some of the most complex foreign policy issues our nation has faced in my 50 years. The Cuban Missle Crisis was ended through the sheer courage of JFK. I believe we're seeing that same kind of courage in GWB today. While has dad definitely showed courage in his handling of the Gulf War, I don't think it rises to this level. As to Clinton, he didn't have the courage to face the American People honestly, hell he didn't even face his WIFE honestly. In history, I don't believe Clinton's name will be mentioned in the same breath with either of the Bush's... That's my personal view. |
