North Korea Tests New Weapon

This North Korea stand off is heading right into the 2020 election season. Trump will want to deal with it in a way that enhances his stature as president so that he can't be attacked at the debates as failing here. After all it's his only major foreign policy action where he can show any achievement. There are 3 alternative paths: 1.) do nothing and maintain sanctions while Kim increases pressure and more weapons testing, 2.) give up the requirement of denuclearization before dropping sanctions and instead agree to a compromise position of a step by step approach Kim wants or 3.) threaten Kim, turn up the "fire and fury" language and prepare for or take military action. Trump believes the do nothing path will make him look weak and be exposed to criticism that he's made no progress. Although the compromise path looks more attractive Trump would be concerned that it would look like he buckled under Kim's superior negotiating skills and also many in his party will not support the compromise position. As a result the threaten and military action is the path is what he will find most attractive. He will look strong, get to play the commander and chief card during the election season and question any candidate's patriotism who doesn't support the president in this time of national emergency just as George Bush did in 2003 to democrats with the Iraq invasion in order for republicans to prevail in the 2004 mid terms. Scary huh?!

So, trump claimed they were in love. So lovely. There were letters. Love letters. And now, "new type of tactical guided weapon". Trump should release his love letters so we can see how all this love and beautiful stuff trump claimed went wrong. There was a hint of trouble in their love fest. That photo of trump looking at Kim and Kim looking in the camera with a quizzical look as if to say, what is he talking about. Forget the love letters, let's see the transcripts of what was said & why trump walked out.

The tactical guided weapon is likely an intermediate range surface to surface missile like the Russian one. It's not difficult to make one with non nuclear warhead, hi speed and low attitude flying with precision gps targeting! It is probably designed for Guam and the aircraft carriers, not Seoul !

Suckered again. How long will it take this administration to realize that Kim cannot be trusted? I suspect a lot longer than it took for the American people to realize Trump cannot be trusted.

I guess Trump demanding a Nobel Peace prize was a little premature. Don't you think? You got to love how Kim snuck this test in right when Trump is completely preoccupied with the Mueller report. Apparently the international community is aware Trump is asleep at the wheel right now. At least, if they didn't know before, they certainly know now. If you're a foreign power looking to humiliate the United States without consequence, now is your chance.

Well, what do you know? Donald Trump’s best friend is daring him! Never mind, with nuclear weapons.

I hope the election doesn't hinge on a NK deal. trump is destroying democracy, Kim notwithstanding.

A "tactical guided weapon" doesn't have to be nuclear nor an ICBM, but it can't be a dachshund or anything, it pretty much has to be a missile. I'd wager the DPRK is working on their guidance systems, which are lousy. The main reason they're not capable of hitting Hawaii today is no longer their maximum range, it's their lack of accuracy. So this is saber-rattling from a bloated dictator who relies on saber-rattling above all else, as his father and grandfather before him did. While this means that all of Trump's efforts with the DPRK have been ineffective, it's only a resumption of the status quo. Kim Jong Un has been doing this for eight years, on and off, and will just keep it up. Luckily, it seems very unlikely that the DPRK will ever actually use a nuclear weapon, knowing that it would result in the complete annihilation of the DPRK. At worst, we could expect China to step in and stop it, as they wouldn't want the resulting fallout. But I wish I still believed the U.S. would never use nuclear weapons again.

I hope Trump's base is satisfied that he sold out the Warmbier family so cruelly, for this. This is your guy and he will never put America first.

But I thought we should all sleep right now that Trump has saved the world? I’m confused.

Witness the fruits of a genius negotiator. But don’t count on a single Trump voter caring one bit about this. When you vote for stupidity and weakness, seeing it materialize doesn’t dissuade you.

The division of Korea with distinctlydifferent governments ruling the two entities is a problem that only the two Koreas can and should resolve. Trump and Pompeo can lend support to the South's current government as requested. But both men and their subordinates should keep a very low profile and let the South Korean leadership try to resolve their differences. Mr Trump should forgo all talk, however ridiculous, about a Nobel Peace Prize.

C'mon. It's just a love letter between friends. What a joke this Administration has become on this issue.

Much ado about nothing. The next move is up to Kim. There is no way he will get his way through force or farce.

Trumps religious supporter need to speak up now and demand he and his war monger GOP march back to the summit and do what ever it takes to get peace. I feel sorry for the South Koreans on edge again. They need to arrest Trump when he shows up on their land. The religious groups by saying nothing shows volume about your beliefs and saving the world for the next generations. Your fake.

The best place to study classic propaganda techniques is still on the Korean peninsula. The photo at the top of this article is a great example. There we see Kim Jong-un with the heads of the Workers Party, all holding their right hands in the air, as if to say: "We are unified." Cite: "A photo released by the North Korean state news media, said to be of Kim Jong-un at a meeting this month of the ruling Workers Party in Pyongyang. Credit Korean Central News Agency, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images"

I hope Trump gets a “dear John” letter from Kim. Love is fickle.

Kim Jong-un is the "Big Kid on the block now. Your baseless meetings with him encouraged that. Without any results, what are you going to do now? I know, he promised you a Trump Tower. Do nothing? Don't start WWIII

Trump is too focused on rewriting history. He seems to believe what he says will become true. His base embraces and encourages that. Rewritten history is about his successes. NK was not a success so it is now irrelevant to him.

So Iran who has an agreement, and is abiding by said agreement, is a threat needing a war. While, North Korea has never abided by an agreement, has nuclear weapons, has started a war before, is Trump’s buddy? As always I am baffled by Trump’s upside down world were bad is good, corruption is acceptable, friends are enemies, and enemies are friends, and lies are truths. Not to mention that the Rule of Law is just a suggestion that can be set aside when convenient. Trump reminds me of the old Superman comics that featured Bizarro World - were everything is opposite.

One aspect that it is never spoken is the fact that countries like the USA, Russia and their allies have the right to have any kind of weapons they want. And that include a nuclear arsenal. But countries like North Korea, Iran, Irak,... (Pakistan and India have been blacklisted too in the past) do not have the right to develop almost any kind of weapons, including a nuclear arsenal. This is double standard at his best or worst.

Kim is baiting Trump with his latest provocation. How will Mr Trump react? This cat and mouse game has gone on for decades. While there is a different cat in the White House today, the mouse has grown stronger by acquiring nuclear weapons. How will the U.S. respond, and should we?

I never thought I'd find even a shred of common ground with a cruel and ruthless dictator the likes of Kim Jong-un, but surprisingly I did – contempt and dislike for Mike Pompeo.

Now Trump knows; Love is so fleeting.

So, does this make my official Korean Peace Talks Summit Coin from the White House gift shop (with certificate of authenticity of origin) worth more, or less? Does it mean that Trump won't have to share the Nobel Peace Prize with Kim?

So Kim is saying, How do you like me now? Sounds like he's playing Trump's game of making a promise and then change the rules after you have agreed to some terms. But, no worries, Mr I Know Everything will blame the past presidents for not stopping Kim while they were in office. Using the tennis terminology, i.e. Love, etc, the ball is now in Trump's court.

Since North & South Koreas are next door neighbors who previously existed as one country what prevents them from re-uniting? East & West Germany provide the model. Suggestion: The U.S. closes it's military base, China backs off and the Koreas solve their joint owned problem.