It appears to me that the sheer momentum the appeasement process towards North Korea has taken many by surprise (like John Bolton, former ambassador to the United Nations for the US). I believe it is simply the end of an administration and the beginning of something altogether different…the possibility of a Democratic House, Senate and Presidency.

It seems to me that the Bush administration is saying, “Maybe you feel we’ve ‘failed’ in Iraq, but look what we did with the Korean peninsula.”

If there can be a verifiable disablement of the nuclear program, a 100% confirmed declaration of all programs in the nuclear realm in the North, and the possibility of an actual peace treaty ending the 54-year armistice…wow! Wouldn’t that be something to measure and balance apparent failures elsewhere? Peace on the Korean peninsula is something even the all-knowing/all-powerful Clinton administration couldn’t do.

I just hope that all this effort we’re throwing into appeasing the DPRK isn’t thrown back in our face. We've recently "came to the rescue" or "assisted" (whatever you want to call it) a North Korean vessel which was taken by pirates off the coast of Somalia. The crew then fought to take back the ship...and requested assistance. We came to the rescue and administered first aid to the crew (and the pirates). North Korean press has actually run the story and 'thanked' the US for helping their comrades. Wow! That's never been heard of in the last 54 years of dealing with these guys. Hopefully that event and all this appeasement get us somewhere....the US and the Koreans.