NYC Letter: NoKo Agrees To End Nuclear Program

That was today back in 1994. Back then the Brainiacs in the Clinton administration let Jimmy Carter, a private citizen, do the table-setting for an agreement between the United States and North Korea.

The essence of the deal was for the United States to provide boat-loads of material aid, solemn pledges for normalization and the renunciation of nuclear threat (something even on a good day has never been extended to any other hostile nation) -- all this in exchange for a snickering promise by NoKo, still a signatory to the NPT at the time, that they would only look admiringly on all the nuclear technology they possessed.

TRUST US
Never Insult, Never Threaten, Never Fail To Ante Up

The rest, as the Democrats say, is Mr. Bush's fault.

CARTER SAYS BUSH PARTLY TO BLAME FOR N.KOREA TEST

LAS VEGAS October 20, 2006 (Reuters) - "Obviously most of the blame is on North Korea but it is U.S. policies that have brought us to this status," he told Reuters while riding between campaign stops for his son Jack who is running for the U.S. Senate in Nevada.

Carter, president from 1977 to 1981, negotiated a deal during a visit to North Korea in 1994 over the reclusive communist state's nuclear program when fellow Democrat Bill Clinton was president.

"The Bush administration changed that policy," he continued. "They put in the trash can the agreement with North Korea, and as a result of that -- and threatened North Korea with military attack -- and as a result of those threats and the discarding of the previous agreement, North Korea announced that they were withdrawing from the Non-Proliferation Treaty."

"It's like night and day. It was daytime when Clinton was in office that totally prohibited and prevented any sort of plutonium enrichment," he said. "All that was dramatically changed under George Bush and now we have the North Koreans having exploded a plutonium bomb."

Carter said he favored resuming talks with North Korea.

"Unfortunately, the U.S. government has established an unprecedented international policy of not talking to anyone who disagrees with us," he said.

At least Mr. Carter didn't say America was wholly to blame. That's something. It just so happens, Mr. Carter's position is the same as Iran's thoughtful assessment, a nation with which Mr. Carter is known to have a special bond.

IRAN DOES NOT CRITICIZE NORTH KOREA'S NUCLEAR TEST,
BLAMES WASHINGTON
TEHRAN October 10, 2006 (IHT/AP)

And one more.

BUSH BLAMED BY SOROS FOR KOREA A-BOMB
SEOUL October 19, 2006 (NYSun/Bloomberg)

There you have it. The world's moral luminiaries have checked in and America is to blame for NoKo's detonation of a nuclear squib. It's as if we built it and blew it up ourselves.

NORTH KOREA WANTS US TO BE DISARMED FIRST
October 19, 2006 (AND/Zimgreats.com)

NORTH KOREA SAYS IT WILL NOT
GIVE TERRORISTS NUCLEAR WEAPONS
WHITE HOUSE October 19, 2006 (VOA)

No. No, they won't. Terrorist must pay the going rate like everyone else. Terrorism is a business, not charity work. If you can't pay, don't play. Cash is preferred.

UN IMPOSES SANCTIONS ON NORTH KOREA
October 15, 2006 (The Age)

NORTH KOREA REJECTS UN SANCTIONS,
CALLS THEM DECLARATION OF WAR
SEOUL October 17, 2006 (AP)

SECURITY COUNCIL IMPOSES
VICIOUS SANCTIONS ON NORTH KOREA
October 19, 2006 (Workers World)

COGNAC IS NEWEST WEAPON IN FIGHT
TO END NORTH KOREA ATOMIC PUSH
October 19, 2006 (Bloomberg)

Cognac! Oh, that is vicious.

YEN WEAKENS AFTER GENERAL SAYS
NORTH KOREA IS 'READY' FOR WAR
October 20, 2006 (Bloomberg)

NORTH KOREA 'TO CARRY OUT THREE OR FOUR MORE N-TESTS'
SEOUL October 20, 2006 (Scotsman)

CHINESE PRESSURE FORCES NORTH KOREA
TO APOLOGISE AND PROMISE NO MORE TESTS
BEIJING October 21, 2006 (Guardian)

WE WILL STOP OUR NUCLEAR TESTING,
KIM TELLS CHINA
WASHINGTON/BEIJING October 21, 2006 (Telegraph)

Well, we imagine you, like us, are massively relieved now that this NoKo nuclear business is ended with Mr. Kim's heartfelt apology.

Posted by Damian at October 21, 2006 09:00 PM