The time for O’s mettle test is here: North Korea prepares for war

By Michelle Malkin  •  May 27, 2009 12:23 AM


Please pick up the red courtesy phone (Photoshop credit: Redhotphones.com)

Joe Biden said our unseasoned Dear Leader would soon be tested. The time is here and now. North Korea tonight has abandoned a 1953 ceasefire and is preparing the peninsula for war in the wake of South Korea’s decision to side with an anti-proliferation coalition led by the U.S.

Wonder if that red phone woke him and Hillary up yet. Brrrrrr–ing. Brrrr–ing:

North Korea’s military says it considers South Korea’s participation in a U.S.-led program to intercept ships suspected of spreading weapons of mass destruction tantamount to a declaration of war against the North.

The communist North’s military said in a statement Wednesday that it will respond with “immediate, strong military measures” if the South actually stops and searches any North Korean ships under the Proliferation Security Initiative.

The statement, carried by the North’s Korean Central News Agency, said North Korea no longer considers itself bound by the armistice that ended the Korean War, as a protest over the South’s participation.

Flashback October 2008:

“Mark my words,” the Democratic vice presidential nominee warned at the second of his two Seattle fundraisers Sunday. “It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We’re about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don’t remember anything else I said. Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.”

Flashback February 2008:

Posted in: North Korea, War

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Trackbacks

  1. BREAKING – North Korea Declares War? « Beagle Scout
  2. Breaking: North Korea now clamining it is no longer bound to Korean War armistice and ready for war! | Fire Andrea Mitchell!
  3. Iran sends warships to Gulf of Aden « Goodtimepolitics
  4. North Korea Continues to Test Obama Nukes « Nice Deb
  5. The Test Has Arrived « Vets On The Watch
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  7. North Korea Prepares for War : Stop The ACLU
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  9. North Korea « Popgun’s World
  10. North Korea’s Kim Jong-Il Launches Missiles & Pres. Obama Golfs… Sobering Pattern Emerging Here « Frugal Café Blog Zone
  11. Who Are We Kidding? « Mcnorman’s Weblog
  12. With North Korea sounding the war bells, will the media blame Bush - or Obama? « Sister Toldjah
  13. North Korea Says The Korean War Is Back On | Right Soup
  14. North Korea Provokes the World … Again | The Great Illuminator
  15. Should Japan Go Nuclear? Not Without Strong Leadership and Competent Diplomats | Zero Sheep
  16. Gird Your Loins: North Korea Threatens United States, Russia fears North Korea Conflict Could Go Nuclear « Frugal Café Blog Zone
  17. Actually, Mancow proves that waterboarding ISN’T torture « Jim Blazsik
  18. North Korea Abandons 1953 Armistice… | Jeffrey A. Setaro
  19. The North Korean Mess | Caffeinated Thoughts
  20. North Korea threatens war what will Obama do? « The Daley Gator
  21. Why is North Korea doing what they are doing? - The Angry White Guy
  22. N. Korea Threatens To Attack US, S. Korea Warships – Obama not taking threats serious « Goodtimepolitics
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Comments


  1. #708186
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:41 am, RetFireman said:

    And watch how fast KJI uses one of his bombs on the South. Is there anyone foolish enough to think that it is mere coincidence the testing happened at the same time the rest of this has?

    Looking more and more like an early Thanksgiving in Korea.

    Just how will Obama deal? How will the Dems deal? After 8 years of telling everyone that they alone know how to deal with such things, now the mess with Korea that began with Albright schmoozing with the little despot and the Clinton’s selling certain Top Secret materials to what was considered a very dangerous enemy…until they said they weren’t…is coming to a head.

    God help our men and women sitting over there on the border, and God help the cities in South Korea’s populations that are about to see the results of what “Failed Diplomacy” means.

    Anyone even know exactly where Hill-Dawg is right now?

  2. #708187
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:44 am, RetFireman said:

    NK knows that using a nuke will be their own death sentence, and moreover there’s no advantage for NK in attacking the south with nuclear weapons. Given South Korea’s superior training and equipment, it would likely go very badly for NK if they tried a conventional fight with the South.

    Yes…in a rational world and with a rational leader. However, KJI is anything but. This is a man who has been starving his own people for a very long time, and who…essentially…has nothing left to lose. This is why he is incredibly dangerous, and this is why he can and most likely will use his new toys.

  3. #708193
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:50 am, Ragspierre said:

    2003 was the last time N.K. threatened to abandon the armistice, saying that the US had provoked them.

    This is qualitatively different, I think. We now have a working nuke…probably not a warhead, but still something you could put in a shipping container. We have a working ICBM, and with a nuke, you can miss by a mile and still score.

    An American carrier battle-group is a big target.

  4. #708205
    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:59 am, sonofdy said:

    I’ll believe it when I see it.

    Head firmly in the sand I see.

    2003 was the last time N.K. threatened to abandon the armistice

    They have actualy said it is off this time so we are right now at active war with North Korea. obamas responce so far? really harsh words.

  5. #708206
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:01 am, Milwaukee Mike said:

    Israel is watching ever so closely as to how this administration moves (or doesn’t) to guard an ally who is in need.

  6. #708211
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:06 am, Ragspierre said:

    Israel is watching ever so closely as to how this administration moves (or doesn’t) to guard an ally who is in need.

    As is EVERY capital of every nation on Earth, friend and foe alike.

  7. #708212
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:06 am, b-cat said:

    I tend to take madmen at their word when they threaten or bully, and that is what this is. This is quite dangerous. The DMZ is a very small thing; North Korean aircraft can fire on our air defenses and never leave their own territory. They can be flying a second strike before we know what’s happened.

  8. #708214
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:07 am, stillontheroad said:

    And our Dear leader will show his spine of Steel — LMFAO
    This is really the darkest of comedies being played out for all of us to watch and are virtually helpless to do anything about.

  9. #708217
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:09 am, right4life said:

    Obama knows its OUR FAULT!!

    NK is a peaceful agrarian community, at one with nature and each other…only to be THREATENED by the captalist imperialist racist policies of the US!

    we should withdraw so Kim can extend his beneficient rule to the capitalist running dogs of south korea…

    to do anything else would be racist.

  10. #708222
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:15 am, RobM1981 said:

    As I said in another post, KJI has some very strong environmental factors on his side.

    His country borders China and South Korea, and is up-wind from Japan (just across the Sea of Japan).

    IF KJI were to release a nuclear device, then the USA would likely have grounds to retaliate with one. I cannot imagine a situation where China, S. Korea or Japan (or any combination thereof) would tolerate more than one or two US strikes on NK.

    KJI knows this.

    There is also the fact that China won’t want US troops along the Yalu any more than we’d want Chinese troops on the Rio Grande. If conventional war comes, China will want all parties to return to the 38th. Perhaps – perhaps – they would tolerate an offensive that unseats KJI’s regime and gets rid of the nuclear program, but even that is iffy.

    The fact is, China benefits by having this loose cannon under their control, and we all know that KJI exists at the pleasure of China.

    Most disconcerting: once N. Korea has a nuclear ICBM that can reliably reach the US Northwest, China has the ability to basically gut the US economy if/when it chooses with no traceable link back to them and no fear of retribution.

    As I said before, this is a classic assymetry, and it makes for a very difficult strategic situation.

  11. #708223
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:16 am, DBNinKY said:

    I’ll believe it when I see it.

    Little too late when the mushroom cloud starts to form, wouldn’t you say?

  12. #708226
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:18 am, CantCureStupid said:

    Lets see, cold weather gear, mountian boots…

    Sonofdy, you and I are of like mind, I see. I pulled me gear out of the attic last night. Seriously. I hope I don’t need it.

  13. #708228
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:22 am, CantCureStupid said:

    me gear = my gear… Apologies, can’t preview on the BlackBerry. DOH!!!

  14. #708229
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:22 am, Mister P said:

    We have 50,000 troops on the Korean border. They are sitting ducks. As a veteran, I am not happy about it at all.

  15. #708234
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:23 am, granite said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:59 am, sonofdy said:

    Head firmly in the sand I see.

    Ever notice that the head-in-the-sand position is strikingly similar to the ankle-grabbing position referenced in “BOHICA”?

  16. #708235
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:24 am, DBNinKY said:

    The statement, carried by the North’s Korean Central News Agency, said North Korea no longer considers itself bound by the armistice that ended the Korean War, as a protest over the South’s participation.

    Given Kim’s visible poor health and demonstrated lack of concern for the plight of his people, this may well be the one time he is not bluffing.

  17. #708240
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:28 am, happyscrapper said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 10:40 am, Yashmak said:
    I don’t dispute what the media is reporting the North is saying, but North Korea postures like this every six months or so. I’m almost certain I’ve read similar ‘abandoning the armistice’ rhetoric from them before. It’s premature hysteria.

    They “posture” and we cave. So we will cave to the pressure and not search the ships. They will then transport all the nuclear stuff they please to where ever. They know they just need to threaten and the rest of the world will go away. Can’t we just, for once, call their bluff?

  18. #708243
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:32 am, stillontheroad said:

    “Uptown
    It’s murder out in the street
    Uptown
    It’s murder out in the street
    That’s where I found my mandarin plum
    That’s where you’d be if you found one

    Where the nights are bright
    And joy is complete
    Keep my squeeze on Green Flower Street

    Since May
    There’s trouble most every night
    Where once we danced our sweet routine
    It reeks of wine and kerosene

    Where the nights are bright
    And joy is complete
    Keep my squeeze on Green Flower Street

    There’s a special place for lovers
    One we understand
    There where neon bends in daylight sky
    In that sunny room she soothes me
    Cools me with her fan
    We’re drifting
    A thousand years roll by

    Lou Chang
    Her brother he’s burning with rage
    Lou Chang
    Her brother he’s burning with rage
    I’d like to know what’s on his mind
    He says hey buddy you’re not my kind

    Where the nights are bright
    And joy is complete
    Keep my squeeze on Green Flower Street”

    A brief musical interlude — a classic album by the way.

  19. #708250
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:37 am, Dan Lee said:

    Obama is channeling Jimmy Carter, & the guy isn’t even dead yet.. *sigh* >:{

  20. #708251
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:39 am, happyscrapper said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:37 am, Dan Lee said:
    Obama is channeling Jimmy Carter, & the guy isn’t even dead yet.. *sigh* >:{

    I wish it was “just” Jimmy Carter. I fear, however, he is channeling Karl Marx.

  21. #708257
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:47 am, Flyoverman said:

    There is no one who displikes Obama more than me.

    However, if this is the great crisis most of the posters appear to think it is then it’s time to be Americans. We have one Commander in Chief and it’s his call. If you all want to avoid a war then the best thing you/we can do is simply say, “As Americans we are united behind our President.”

    The North Koreans will take note of a united America. You all share a common concern that we appear weak. Well, I suggest we not add to that impression.

    I think his policies suck, but President Obama has my unconditional support in facing down North Korea. I may disagree with what he does today, tomorrow or the next day, but I sure won’t let the North Koreans know it.

    We can criticize after this is over with. But for now if you want peace, then prepare for war……… as one nation.

  22. #708264
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:53 am, RobM1981 said:

    DBN,

    Good point. Talk about having nothing to lose…

    I hear he’s not overly close to his son, and hasn’t really prepared him to be the next “________ Leader.” Thus KJI is probably viewing himself as the last of his family to run the joint.

    Not good…

  23. #708269
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:57 am, happyscrapper said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:53 am, RobM1981 said:
    DBN,

    Good point. Talk about having nothing to lose…

    I hear he’s not overly close to his son, and hasn’t really prepared him to be the next “________ Leader.” Thus KJI is probably viewing himself as the last of his family to run the joint.

    Not good…

    You make a very frightening point. If he is as ill as reported, he may be planning to take his whole country with him, and a few enemies as well. Chilling…and he is a madman.

  24. #708271
    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:58 am, RobM1981 said:

    Flyoverman,

    I don’t think the dissent will come from the right. I think Obama’s biggest problems are:

    a. his own ideology, and
    b. the ideology of his base.

    They don’t view this like you do. They don’t view NK as an imminent threat, either nuclear or conventional. Moreover, I don’t believe they would support US intervention even if Seoul or Tokyo were to go up in a flash. And certainly not if N. Korea merely crossed the border or sank some ships or shot down planes.

    it’s not that liberals are isolationists… more like “deniers.”

    But, again, I can’t imagine conservatives not getting behind even Chauncey if this came to a hot situation.

    Only conservatives realize just how significant S. Korea is to the world economy, and the effect that it would have on it.

  25. #708278
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:01 pm, cpodug said:

    FOM – that’s why we volunteered to go in harm’s way. I suffered under some of the worst presidents in living memory, but I was always there. It’s time to answer the bell once again.

  26. #708279
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:03 pm, Sniper One said:

    I’m pretty sure we all know what “The One” is made of. The same seven layers of crap he’s been force feeding the american people since the elections.

  27. #708280
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:04 pm, RobM1981 said:

    If he is as ill as reported, he may be planning to take his whole country with him, and a few enemies as well. Chilling…and he is a madman.

    Scrapper,

    Ever notice how really old people will start to prophesize the end of the world? Of course what they are prophesizing is the end of *their own* time here, but the point is still valid.

    If you really believe that the place has gone to hell in a handbasket, that the end is upon you, and you happen to be sitting on a nuclear arsenal, and the means to deliver it to two of your most hated neighbors (S. Korea and Japan)

    VERY not good, indeed.

    There are some rays of hope however…

    Just because he’s crazy doesn’t mean that everyone around him is. It’s possible that they will talk him out of anything stupid, or ignore him. Coups happen, even in bad places.

    His only effective delivery system beyond the DMZ is an IRBM – precisely the kind of thing that Japan’s navy is equipped to down (courtesy of the USN’s missile defense). Nobody wants to bet the farm on missile defense working, but we wouldn’t have built it if we didn’t think it would work.

    Let’s hope we don’t find out. Plus, soes Seoul have Patriots (or similar) capable of intercepting an IRBM?

  28. #708287
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:10 pm, Ragspierre said:

    President Obama has my unconditional support in facing down North Korea.

    But the question here is, “Will he?”.

  29. #708288
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:12 pm, Mister P said:

    As Americans we are united behind our President.”

    Sorry, but I am not.

  30. #708289
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:12 pm, infidel4life said:

    President Obama has my unconditional support in facing down North Korea.

    He would have mine as well IF he has the cojones for a facedown, but I ain’t holding my breath. So far he has shown he’s every bit the wuss that Carter was.

  31. #708291
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:14 pm, Flyoverman said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 11:58 am, RobM1981 said:

    I don’t think the dissent will come from the right. I think Obama’s biggest problems are:

    a. his own ideology, and
    b. the ideology of his base.

    Well, Rob, I do confess that those are potential problems, because it is extremely difficult to cure stupid. ;)

  32. #708293
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:18 pm, Flyoverman said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:12 pm, Mister P said:

    As Americans we are united behind our President.”

    Sorry, but I am not.

    Well, then don’t complain the next time the Kos Kids won’t support a Republican in the midst of a crisis.

  33. #708295
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:18 pm, Jim M. said:

    Michelle,

    If the North has truly revoked the armistice, we are not “preparing for war”, we are at war.

    The Korean War never ended. An armistice was agreed upon putting the war on pause. It provided a cease fire and a halt to hostilities, but not an end to war.

    If one side withdraws from the arimistice, the war is on again, just as before. When I saw this news it was pretty shocking. It is one thing to test nukes and missiles, but quite another to resume a war that has been on pause since 1953.

    Having been to the lovely DMZ in a past life, I can tell you that if the North decided to resume the fight, most of our troops at the DMZ would be anihilated. And given the proximity of the DMZ to the City of Seoul – about 30 miles- it would not take them long to reach South Korea’s largest city.

    This is about the worst news I have seen in a very long time, if it is true.

  34. #708297
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:20 pm, John424 said:

    Flyoverman:

    To me, the question isn’t “Will conservatives rally behind the president?”

    To me, the question is, “Will the president give us anything to rally behind?”

    And given li’l bHo’s performance to date, the answer to the question is “highly doubtful”.

  35. #708301
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:21 pm, Mister P said:

    Well, then don’t complain the next time the Kos Kids won’t support a Republican in the midst of a crisis.

    So I should support Obama no matter what so I can complain. That is illogical.

  36. #708303
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:23 pm, stillontheroad said:

    Flyoverman said:
    While I understand completely with what you are saying, I have to respectfully disagree. Our one nation of old no longer exists or if it does, it is asleep. The despots of the world, especially now, see us for what we have become. This government does not support its friends, this government apologizes for our country on foreign soil, this government is headed by an individual that hates our way of life and the country he is President of, this government is dismantling the very core of what made this country great and the envy of the world and most of all this government would rather look the other way while holding a hand out for more debt relief. I fully expect nothing from this government except another excerpt of Teleprompter rage.

  37. #708305
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:24 pm, Mister P said:

    Having been to the lovely DMZ in a past life, I can tell you that if the North decided to resume the fight, most of our troops at the DMZ would be anihilated.

    I know. They are sitting ducks forming a buffer to Seoul. This in not good. Doing as some on this board suggest is signing their death warrent.

  38. #708309
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:31 pm, Ragspierre said:

    Having been to the lovely DMZ in a past life, I can tell you that if the North decided to resume the fight, most of our troops at the DMZ would be anihilated. And given the proximity of the DMZ to the City of Seoul – about 30 miles- it would not take them long to reach South Korea’s largest city.

    This is about the worst news I have seen in a very long time, if it is true.

    Indeed.

    The strategic purpose of the US troops has for decades been to serve as a “trip-wire”.

    I think that, given our revolution in war-fighting doctrine, we have to think about letting our forces do what they do best; hit, hit the head and heart, and cut them off. That might entail a calculation that I think THE ONE is supremely ill-equipped to make; a preemptive strike at their command and control, and/or a strategic withdrawal from the DMZ to provide for maneuver. These would be excruciatingly hard choices to have to make, and I just don’t see THE ONE having anything like what it would take.

    I think it is reasonable to assume that, if the N.K. actually start a shooting war, they are doing it with Chinese acquiescence. The Chinese, if they do not assent, would have to join us, or at very least forebear.

  39. #708311
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:33 pm, hawkeye54 said:

    I think it is reasonable to assume that, if the N.K. actually start a shooting war, they are doing it with Chinese acquiescence. The Chinese, if they do not assent, would have to join us, or at very least forebear.

    Given the current occupant of the White House and the useless U.N., its also possible that the Chinese could use such an action by NK to launch an invasion of Taiwan. We’d be hard pressed to react to both situations at the same time.

  40. #708312
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:36 pm, Ragspierre said:

    hawkeye:

    True. We are in a very unstable situation.

    I have some hope that China would take the part of a sane, civilized nation.

    But I am an optimist.

  41. #708319
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:40 pm, hawkeye54 said:

    I have some hope that China would take the part of a sane, civilized nation.

    But I am an optimist.

    Very rosy on your part. China has always resented European and US influence in what it considers its sphere in Asia and the Pacific. THE PRC will smile at you, work with you, and then stab you if it fulfills its ultimate agenda.

  42. #708328
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:44 pm, Ragspierre said:

    Yep. BUT…

    Mao isn’t there any more, even in spirit…AND

    they have a lot more to loose than they used to have.

    Still, your point is well-founded.

  43. #708330
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:45 pm, nail49 said:

    Nancy Pelosi…

    third in line.

    Rags: Scary thought — does botox protect against radiation?

    My only hope is she gets vaporized by the first blast as do all the others who got us into this mess.

    Maybe Sherrif Joe Arpaio will be the senior ranking guy left in the government and then Kim Jong Il will get what is coming to him!

  44. #708341
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:53 pm, corona said:

    That’s not a photoshop photo – the company actually sells that phone.

  45. #708346
    On May 27th, 2009 at 12:56 pm, nail49 said:

    The strategic purpose of the US troops has for decades been to serve as a “trip-wire”.

    Rags: True, but standing shoulder to shoulder with our troops are the South Koreans — and they will be fighting for their homeland. I’m sure you are concious of just how tough and skilled the South Korean soldiers are. They fought alongside us in Vietnam and they are very tough.

    However, as Stalin said, “Quantity has a quality of its own.” and the North Korean have lots of people under arms.

    No matter how it is sliced or diced, it will be like Helen Thomas when she wakes up (or when she goes to bed, leaves for work, arrives at work, goes to lunch…) — UGLY!

  46. #708350
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:00 pm, hawkeye54 said:

    Mao isn’t there any more, even in spirit…AND

    they have a lot more to loose than they used to have.

    True, they’d have a lot to lose, but what they believe they’d lose would be worth it to them in the long run. They view things in the long term. Chinese cultural pride and history exists before and after Mao and are very strong influences on what they will do. Taiwan belongs to them, in their view, and they will get it and the PRC also believe we have no business interfering with its goals or its means to acheive them. Why else heavily invest in a deep water navy but to take us on?

  47. #708363
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:04 pm, Ragspierre said:

    I’m sure you are concious of just how tough and skilled the South Korean soldiers are. They fought alongside us in Vietnam and they are very tough.

    Acknowledged. But SOME of the NK troops are literally the comic-book of Commie cadres…super trained, bulked up, and indoctrinated. I don’t know how deep in their force structure that goes, but I do know that, if anybody ate, the military ate during the famines.

    I understand…tho I have no claims to real understanding here…that the NK capacity for a protracted fight is very low.

    Massed troops were what Saddam had, and we moved through them like warm butter. This might be a different situation, however. No assumptions.

  48. #708370
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:09 pm, Ragspierre said:

    I can’t argue with anything Hawkeye said.

    I could add that a blue-water navy is necessary for any modern trans-ocean power. How else do you project force?

  49. #708378
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:16 pm, lgm said:

    DBNinKY said (#98):

    I’ll believe it when I see it.

    Little too late when the mushroom cloud starts to form,

    The last time conservatives said that — Condi Rice in that case — they were wrong. Right now, the intel is that the NoKos can’t make a nuclear device small enough to fit on a missile. The only thing they can blow up is themselves.

  50. #708380
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:18 pm, Dexter Alarius said:

    its also possible that the Chinese could use such an action by NK to launch an invasion of Taiwan. We’d be hard pressed to react to both situations at the same time.

    … and Ahmanutjob would take the opportunity to take out Tel Aviv. This is getting worrisome. Coordinated attacks on several fronts would be difficult to deal with for a real leader, much less Obambi.

  51. #708381
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:18 pm, atheling said:

    Lately I’ve been reading that the NK Army is underfed and demoralized.

    I wonder if Lil Kim rattles his saber just to raise morale.

  52. #708383
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:19 pm, Ragspierre said:

    Right now, the intel is that the NoKos can’t make a nuclear device small enough to fit on a missile. The only thing they can blow up is themselves.

    Or anything they can drive a truck to.

    Like Seoul.

    Or ship a container to.

    Like San Francisco, LA, Houston, Boston, New York, etc.

    Or anything they could put aboard a sub.

    And put in the proximity of one of our carrier battle-groups.

  53. #708384
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:22 pm, Regulus said:

    A disturbing parallel is to compare the North Koreans today to al Qaeda during the Clinton years.

    Back then, we saw a steady ramp-up of terrorist acts without any corresponding sense of urgency in the White House. The terrorists must’ve been thinking something like,

    “We declare war on them; we blow up their barracks; we blow up their embassies; we blow up their warship; and still they ignore us. What shall we do to get the Americans’ attention?”

    The answer, of course, was 9/11.

    Today, you can see the North Koreans thinking,

    “We threaten them with nuclear weapons; we threaten them with missiles; we threaten them with war. And yet there goes the American president, polishing his golf game…

    What will shall we do to get the Americans’ attention?”

    The mind shudders to think about what the NoKos’ answer to that question will be.

    On the bright side, I don’t believe that any of our troops still in South Korea are on the DMZ anymore. We’ve transitioned that responsibility entirely to the ROK army, and moved our forces back from the front line. So at least our guys won’t get vaporized at the outset if war comes…

  54. #708387
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:23 pm, hawkeye54 said:

    How else do you project force?

    True that. A modern trans-ocean nation needs a blue water navy to defend its overseas interests and allies, or to challenge and conquer its presumtive overseas opponents.

    Or the PRC is just interested in interdicting and preventing the growing piracy problem in its neighborhood: )

  55. #708396
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:34 pm, Flyoverman said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:19 pm, Ragspierre said:

    Or anything they can drive a truck to. Like Seoul.

    You mean on I-10 the unsecured, unguarded interstate between Pyonyang and Seoul?

    Or ship a container to like San Francisco, LA, Houston, Boston, New York

    I am SURE any ship from North Korea can just sail in to any of these places without notice and just tie up to the dock.

    Or anything they could put aboard a sub. And put in the proximity of one of our carrier battle-groups.

    You mean the 12-15 knot conventional sub that can leave a North Korean port unnoticed and catch up to a 25 knot carrier battle group usually accompanied by 2 Los Angeles Class attack subs?

    And then there is that small matter of the US Ohio Class Posiedon-equipped “Boomer” in the Pacific with 240 nuclear warheads on board that could take out North Korea with about 1 /4 of their basic load of missles…….

  56. #708405
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:41 pm, Major O said:

    The Obama foreign policy test is here!

    Speaking of that, I noted with no small amount of discouragement that my Air Command and Staff College coursework has “doctrine” culled from the writings of one Samantha Power. (Sorry to divert from the thread but I had to vent)

    Sigh.

  57. #708408
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:43 pm, hawkeye54 said:

    and Ahmanutjob would take the opportunity to take out Tel Aviv. This is getting worrisome. Coordinated attacks on several fronts would be difficult to deal with for a real leader, much less Obambi.

    Yeah, I was thinking that too….add to that demented El Presidente Hugo of Venuzuela who might also seize such an opportunity to do something as well.

    Things worldwide could go very badly in a very short period of time.

  58. #708409
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:43 pm, sonofdy said:

    Right now, the intel is that the NoKos can’t make a nuclear device small enough to fit on a missile.

    Sort of like they said they couldn’t build another device??

  59. #708412
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:49 pm, Ragspierre said:

    Flyover:

    Have the NK kidnapped Japanese…in Japan?

    Have NK infiltrators NEVER crossed into SK to do mischief?

    If YOU wanted to put a container in an American port, can you imagine a feasible means to so do?

    A bottomed sub…no matter how archaic…is very hard to detect, and would nicely simulate one of our own anti-ship mines. All it has to do is be there.

    Many of our ships and planes have the capacity to turn all NK cities to glass. Who will use them, and what difference would it make if we lose a city…including Seoul…first?

  60. #708413
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:49 pm, right4life said:

    The last time conservatives said that — Condi Rice in that case — they were wrong. Right now, the intel is that the NoKos can’t make a nuclear device small enough to fit on a missile. The only thing they can blow up is themselves.

    do ya think they have a plane or two they could put it on???

  61. #708414
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:52 pm, Ragspierre said:

    The last time conservatives said that — Condi Rice in that case — they were wrong.

    Even that was a lie.

  62. #708416
    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:56 pm, FirstSkirt said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 9:19 am, Rogue Cheddar said:
    I think I may have overgirded my loins, I’m starting to feel woozy.

    Thanks, Rogue, for some humor while we discuss a really dismal situation in NoKorea.

  63. #708424
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:02 pm, jjmurphy said:

    I don’t support Obama one bit in anything. I pledged allegiance to the flag and the Republic, which is based on the U.S. Constitution. If Obama’s actions happen to coincide with that, fine, but he is irrelevant to me. If his actions are in contradiction to my interpretation of the Constitution, then he is the enemy.

  64. #708427
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:10 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    Or ship a container to like San Francisco, LA, Houston, Boston, New York

    I am SURE any ship from North Korea can just sail in to any of these places without notice and just tie up to the dock.

    Not the ship, the container. They could easily truck it to any of the ports in China and throw it on a container ship. It would most likely end up in a West Coast port. LA, Oakland, Seattle, Tacoma…

  65. #708431
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:15 pm, Roman Con said:

    When the missiles start flying, watch for the protective anti-matter shield to pop up over all of the 2008 blue states.

    Call it the “Chrysler Dealership Method” of missile defense.

  66. #708432
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:16 pm, Capn Ramius said:

    If you all want to avoid a war then the best thing you/we can do is simply say, “As Americans we are united behind our President.”

    FOM, this sounds like another excuse for failure by the Obama administration. If they adopt it, you should get royalties, but I wouldn’t hold my breath, if I were you.

    Just like the economy and the Gitmo situation, I’m sure Obama staffers are writing powerful, hard-hitting speeches blaming the Bush administration for causing this crisis that BO was unlucky enough to inherit. (The fact they can never seem to resolve anything is irrelevant, it seems.)

    My prediction: another Pueblo incident. Then another. And another. The NKs will become pirates with nukes. (How do you think BO will deal with this?)

  67. #708435
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:21 pm, stillontheroad said:

    Capn Ramius said:
    Cap — BO will just give another Teleprompter responce with the same inflection he gives with all his teleprompter responces – look grave and turn his head from side to side and jut out his chin.

  68. #708440
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:33 pm, On-my-soap-box said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 1:16 pm, Kapo lgm said:

    The last time conservatives said that — Condi Rice in that case — they were wrong.

    As I recall, liberals are the ones who claim 9/11 was an inside job and we bombed our own buildings – idiot.

    Right now, the intel is that the NoKos can’t make a nuclear device small enough to fit on a missile.

    Tell us, oh great idiot, how do YOU have access to intell?

    The only thing they can blow up is themselves.

    While on American soil.

    Gawd! Do you practice being stoopid or does it come natural?

    P.S. NoKo is not an Islamic state – idiot.

  69. #708446
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:44 pm, hawkeye54 said:

    Do you practice being stoopid or does it come natural

    He’s a liberal, comes naturally. He does, however, get plenty of practice on this site.

  70. #708450
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:46 pm, hawkeye54 said:

    NoKo is not an Islamic state – idiot.

    It is, probably, an Islamic Client State…NUKES-R-US.

  71. #708454
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:52 pm, Jeff said:

    From Stratfor :

    North Korea, on the other hand, has held downtown Seoul (just across the demilitarized zone) at risk for generations with one of the highest concentrations of deployed artillery, artillery rockets and short-range ballistic missiles on the planet. From the outside, Pyongyang is perceived as unpredictable enough that any potential pre-emptive strike on its nuclear facilities is too risky not because of some newfound nuclear capability, but because of Pyongyang’s capability to turn the South Korean capital city into a proverbial “sea of fire” via conventional means. A nuclear North Korea, the world has now seen, is not sufficient alone to risk renewed war on the Korean Peninsula.

    http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20090526_north_korean_nuclear_test_and_geopolitical_reality

  72. #708455
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:54 pm, happy2behere said:

    And we all know lgm has a lock on intel…

  73. #708456
    On May 27th, 2009 at 2:56 pm, happy2behere said:

    And he has that quote from Condi Rice right in his back pocket.

  74. #708464
    On May 27th, 2009 at 3:04 pm, Flyoverman said:

    Not the ship, the container. They could easily truck it to any of the ports in China and throw it on a container ship. It would most likely end up in a West Coast port. LA, Oakland, Seattle, Tacoma…

    “We must close the truck transported container gap.”

    General “Buck” Turgidson

  75. #708468
    On May 27th, 2009 at 3:11 pm, IndyRich said:

    Right now, the intel is that the NoKos can’t make a nuclear device small enough to fit on a missile.

    Does that intel come from the same CIA that you gleefully assert was WRONG about Iraq’s WMDs, etc?

    Isn’t it fun to pick and choose which “intel” you want to believe based on what fits your political ideology at that particular time?

  76. #708471
    On May 27th, 2009 at 3:17 pm, nail49 said:

    Right now, the intel is that the NoKos can’t make a nuclear device small enough to fit on a missile.

    lgm: Your facts must come from the same intelligence source SanFranNan uses since she can’t rely on the CIA any more.

    Please share with us YOUR sources.

    Also, you might want to send your apologies to your fellow libs BEFORE they get incinerated by a NUDET in SanFranLand.

    /sarc off

  77. #708472
    On May 27th, 2009 at 3:17 pm, Ragspierre said:

    Does that intel come from the same CIA that you gleefully assert was WRONG about Iraq’s WMDs, etc?

    Naw…the same “intel” that called Bolton crazy when he predicted the NK nuke test.

  78. #708477
    On May 27th, 2009 at 3:24 pm, Dexter Alarius said:

    Yeah, I was thinking that too….add to that demented El Presidente Hugo of Venuzuela who might also seize such an opportunity to do something as well.

    Things worldwide could go very badly in a very short period of time.

    “Politics makes for strange bed-fellows”

    “The enemy of my enemy is my friend”

    It’s not hard to imagine Lil’ Kim, Ahmageddon, Hugo (Hollywood’s buddy) and the Chicoms colluding to bring down the Great Satan.

    Obambi’s (milk)toast.
    Gordon Brown is like-minded.

    Sarkozy may be our only hope.

  79. #708482
    On May 27th, 2009 at 3:33 pm, nail49 said:

    Sarkozy may be our only hope.

    Dex: Now I KNOW it is indeed the end-times!

  80. #708483
    On May 27th, 2009 at 3:34 pm, DBNinKY said:

    Right now, the intel is that the NoKos can’t make a nuclear device small enough to fit on a missile. The only thing they can blow up is themselves.

    Assuming your sources are correct, are we to then just wait until they have a deliverable weapon before taking action?

  81. #708486
    On May 27th, 2009 at 3:42 pm, cheapseat said:

    when i was in s korea, my impression was that the s korean military was well up to the task of defending it’s country. maybe we need to “loan” them a few stealth bombers to project decimation inside n. korea should they actually be stupid enough to cross the dmz. i was with the 2nd inf out of camp casey, so i saw lots of fence time. to think that the north could march those thiry miles from the dmz to seoul without losing the majority of the army is ludicrous. tanks make really good targets for blackhawks and tows, as we saw in iraq 1 and 2. large surging armies can be decimated from above with minimal effort. yes, missiles will fall in the south, and it will be a war for maybe a week. but just as in 1951, the war with n. korea lasted a few months because we weren’t ready for the attack, but the majority of the war was with china, not n. korea.

  82. #708488
    On May 27th, 2009 at 3:47 pm, cpodug said:

    cheapseat said:

    That begs the question of whether we’ll honor our treaty commitments or not. We bailed out on South Vietnam. How many of our “allies” are starting to quake in tier boots about now?

  83. #708496
    On May 27th, 2009 at 3:56 pm, Ragspierre said:

    How many of our “allies” are starting to quake in tier boots about now?

    Each with eyes, ears, and brains…

  84. #708521
    On May 27th, 2009 at 4:25 pm, lgm said:

    On-my-soap-box said (#155):

    NoKo is not an Islamic state – idiot.

    Are you sure about that? Reading MM, I thought all bad guys are either Islamofascists or Democrats, and I don’t think NoKo is run by Democrats.

  85. #708522
    On May 27th, 2009 at 4:25 pm, cheapseat said:

    cpo, rags, of course you are right. as a vet of the vietnam police action, i know full well our troops won every battle, every skirmish, and every firefight. the media lost that war with the likes of john kerry and other legendary dem icons. anyone who believes america under dem rule will stand up and fight needs to look at a history book. clinton, passed on osama and terrorists, carter, passed on iran, kennedy/johnson went halfway to war, but only halfway. the old bill cosby routine about the revolutionary war comes to mind: you colonists, you get to hide behind trees, dress in normal clothes, and kill the enemy any way you can. you british must dress in bright red coats, walk down the middle of the streets, and not attack anyone other than the people attacking you.

  86. #708525
    On May 27th, 2009 at 4:28 pm, cheapseat said:

    lgm, north korea thinks it is domocratic, look at it’s name.

  87. #708528
    On May 27th, 2009 at 4:32 pm, Dexter Alarius said:

    I don’t think NoKo is run by Democrats.

    Marxists/Democrats… what’s the diff?

    You walked into that one.

    North Korea is an example of the logical result of ObamaReidPelosi’s policies taken to the extreme.

    Government control of everything leads to universal misery.

  88. #708529
    On May 27th, 2009 at 4:34 pm, Mister P said:

    Given a choice between a North Korean and a Democrat, I would take my chances on the North Korean.

  89. #708530
    On May 27th, 2009 at 4:38 pm, granite said:

    On May 27th, 2009 at 4:32 pm, Dexter Alarius said:

    Marxists/Democrats… what’s the diff?

    You beat me to it!

    There is no such thing as a Democrat party.
    Regardless of what they call themselves, they are socialists/statists/collectivists…pure and simple.

    The difference between the North Koreans and other communists, and our domestic socialists/statists/etc., is one of degree only – they are of the same kind.

  90. #708531
    On May 27th, 2009 at 4:39 pm, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    Not to worry my friends (hate it when McCain says that) Miss Hillary is Gravely Concerned. Nothing forces a nutjob wacko to back off faster than a Gravely Concerned twit.
    And if Little Kim does attack Miss Hillary we be Seriously Gravely Concerned: Take that Kim!

    I am sure that Russia and China will jump right in to assist us any minute now-the UN and all that-think France and Belgium have mobilized? I understand Belgium’s army has some of the best hairdressers in Europe on board as their troops sing “I feel pretty, Oh, so pretty, I feel pretty and witty and bright!”

    Allies? If I were going into harm’s way I think I would want Americans covering my flanks.

  91. #708533
    On May 27th, 2009 at 4:41 pm, Ragspierre said:

    Reading MM, I thought felt or something all bad guys are either Islamofascists or Democrats, and I don’t think feel or something NoKo is run by Democrats.

    Not Dimocrats…just their fellow-travelers…

  92. #708535
    On May 27th, 2009 at 4:44 pm, Dexter Alarius said:

    It’s time for Obummer to issue tasking orders to…

    Team America! F@*%, Yeah!

  93. #708548
    On May 27th, 2009 at 5:13 pm, bmac727 said:

    The Korean War almost reignited in Aug 1976 over the “Tree Trimming Incident” Ax Attack at Panmunjom where 2 US Officers were killed by an NK attack to prevent the tree from being cut.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axe_Murder_Incident
    A full squadron of F-111Fs was deployed from Mtn Home AFB, ID as part of the US response force, and current NK Leader Kim’s daddy backed down in a very conciliatory manner! What will our dear leader do in response to Kim’s hostile acts?

  94. #708554
    On May 27th, 2009 at 5:22 pm, WarEagle82 said:

    Drudge is reporting that the Russians are worried that a Korean conflict could go nuclear! No kidding! Maybe these idiots should have thought of that BEFORE their “Dear Leader” lit off a couple of nukes! Do you think they will suddenly develop this fear when Iran lights off a couple of nukes? Do you think the stupid Russian government has realized they are already within the range of Iranian current missiles?

    I wonder if the idiot Chinese are worried now that their lunatic neighbors have nukes?

    It is a bit late to worry about that crazy uncle experimenting in the basement now.

    http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-39913120090527

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