Talk is Cheap: Pres Obama’s Response to Kim Jong Il? 6 Party Talks

North Korea is a prime example of poor handling by Pres GWB. But now, it is compounded by more poor handling. The difference is Pres Obama has no concern about containing North Korea, he truly believes his own hype. If only he can talk to the dictator then we could resolve the situation. Well here’s the reality:

North Korea has again defied the Security Council, gotten away with its launch with the support of Russia and China, and now will likely confront only pleas by Mr. Obama and others to return to the six-party talks…

Iran has carefully scrutinized the Obama administration’s every action, and Tehran’s only conclusion can be: It is past time to torque up the pressure on this new crowd in Washington. Not only is Iran’s back now covered by its friends Russia, China and others on the U.N. Security Council, but it sees an American president so ready to bend his knee for public favor in Europe that the mullahs’ wish list for U.S. concessions will grow by the minute…

Russia and China must also be relishing this outcome. They will have faced down Mr. Obama in his first real crisis, having provided Security Council cover for a criminal regime, and emerged unscathed. They will conclude that achieving their large agendas with the new administration can’t be too hard. That conclusion may be unfair to the new American president; but it will surely color how Moscow and Beijing structure their policies and their diplomacy until proven otherwise. That alone is bad news for Washington and its allies.

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Obama to Pentagon: Cut Spending on Missile Defense by $2 Billion

On the heels of North Korea’s missile launch, the White House has ordered “the Pentagon to cut spending on missile defense by $2billion, or about 20%.” according to WSJ’s Opinion page.

Does it seem intelligent to put our defense in jeopardy by cutting defense programs?

• Airborne Laser – a modified 747 designed to take out ballistic missiles seconds after liftoff
• Expansion of the ground-based interceptor program in Alaska and California
• Space-based missile surveillance and tracking

All three are part of the vision for a layered defense, in which the US has several chances to destroy incoming missiles.