After months of escalation and brinksmanship, Bush's North Korea policy has
come full circle back to Clinton's tactic of engagement:
BEIJING, June 23 -- The United States today presented North Korea with a proposal for phasing out its nuclear program in exchange for aid and security guarantees, as senior Bush administration officials acknowledged softening their hard-line stance to jump-start negotiations with Pyongyang.
Can you say flip-flopper?
In exchange, the reclusive regime of Kim Jong-Il, the North Korean leader, would receive shipments of heavy fuel oil to meet its energy needs, be granted a "provisional security guarantee" by the United States, and see the lifting of some sanctions...
The administration appears to have eased its opposition to engaging in detailed negotiations with North Korea, which President Bush once labeled as member of the "axis of evil." Last summer, when negotiations first got under way, Mr. Bush said that providing any benefits to North Korea before it completely abandoned its nuclear program would be like submitting to blackmail.
This would make a great issue for Kerry except that Americans dont't seem to give a damn about North Korea. We're all much more concerned about states that don't have nuclear weapons.
Still, it can't look too good that Bush has to back down. I mean, Bush has a mandate from God to never back down, doesn't he? He's the guy who always stands up for what he believes in, and will never be bullied. Right? Right?