North Korea Smackdown: How the "Dear Leader" blackmailed Bush

by Mike Whitney After seven years of nonstop belligerence, the Bush administration has caved in to all of North Korea's demands and gotten nothing in return. The UN's nuclear watchdog agency, the IAEA, will not gain access to Kim Jong-il's nuclear stockpile or its "Top-Secret" file on weapons programs or be allowed to conduct surprise "go anywhere, see anything" inspections. None of the main objectives have been achieved. At the same time, Kim will continue to develop his long-range ballistic-missile delivery system, the Taepodong 2, and (allegedly) continue to export nuclear weapons technology to allies in the Middle East and elsewhere. The present agreement does nothing to mitigate the danger of a nuclear-armed North, but sends a message to America's rivals that the US can be blackmailed if the stakes are high enough. The administration has been humiliated by a man who many believe is an unstable megalomaniac and a ruthless tyrant. It's another black-eye for US foreign policy. There was a time when George Bush would have nothing to do with Kim Jong-il, he privately scoffed at the reclusive dictator and called him "a pygmy". He placed North Korea on the State Department's list of sponsors of terrorism, froze their foreign bank accounts, refused to honor the terms of the Agreed Framework (which was negotiated by Bill Clinton) and threatened to take military action if Kim did not comply with US demands. What a difference a few years and a few nuclear weapons make. Now the blustery bravado and swaggering insolence has changed to hand-wringing and hyperactive backroom diplomacy. The Bush team has shifted from its ritual chest-thumping to damage-control.Unfortunately, the change comes too late. On Thursday, Bush announced that he would remove North Korea from the terrorism list and lift other economic sanctions. This follows an earlier decision to provide Kim with massive quantities of oil to meet the North's energy needs; a fact that is predictably ignored by the establishment media. On virtually every issue, the sullen despot in the oversized Foster-Grants has gotten whatever he's asked for. This has infuriated many of Bush's biggest supporters. Last week, former United Nations ambassador John Bolton blasted the agreement saying: "I think it's actually a clear victory for North Korea." http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/15621