Friday, May 18, 2007

Of all the [expletive deleted] in the world

Why is Dr. Michael Green in my Financial Times this morning?

I was having a very nice breakfast, plying myself with all the cafe latté I can down at one sitting for one low price at the local Jonathan's, when I opened up the opinion section and saw this:

Pyongyang thrives on America's constant concessions
Financial Times
By Michael Green

Published: May 17 2007 - After North Korea's nuclear test in October, the Bush administration put together an impressive international coalition to contain and roll back Pyongyang’s proliferation activities: the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved sanctions against Pyongyang; South Korea froze all new economic aid and co-operation; Japan stopped ships known to be making drug runs for the North; and Chinese officials engaged in an unprecedented debate about the need for even greater pressure to force Kim Jong Il to accept denuclearisation.

It is therefore perplexing to see the US now take a series of unilateral steps to unravel this policy and reward North Korea for doing . . . well, nothing.

What is perplexing, Dr. Green, is that you are given even a half-an-inch of newspaper column space after your -- shall we say less-than-100%-successful? -- conceptualization of an effective response to the North Korean nuclear and missile development programs during your five plus years inside the Bush White House.

It was not enough for you and the Administration to have been wrong about how to keep a lid on the North Korean nuclear program? You have to criticize those who are trying to pick up the pieces after you too?

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