Interesting story there, I wonder when, and if, it will get told.
And what makes it more interesting to me is that I think you and I, with the help of some other interested posters, covered just about every variation of the possible outcomes. We were able to do that because, although living in Hawaii and the Philippines, respectively, we had more information available to us over the internet than the CIA would have had, real time, 50 years ago.
The fact that we are not privy to the "inside" negotiations is almost a help, in a way. We are not setting there listening to the lies, just judging the outcome. I saw Powell in an interview on PBS today, and he said this was a low level meeting to discuss what was going to be discussed, and by who. He said that the further discussions would include South Korea and Japan.
Frontline did an evenhanded history of the situation in an hour show last week. My view of the events tallies with the Administrations. They interviewed Perle, and he said, "We decided we were no longer going to pay blackmail."
Powell pointed out tonight that they came under intense pressure from the Dems and Europe to go into immediate unilateral negotiations with NK when they announced they were in violation. I remember post after post here castigating Bush's admin for different treatment of NK vs Iraq.
But they held out for a new course, and they were right to do so, IMO. That "stupid, hamhanded, cowboy" administration is cruising along on a winning path. |
