Well, isn't this is fascinating:
The U.S. and Chinese governments announced Tuesday that North Korea agreed to rejoin six-nation nuclear disarmament talks, a surprise diplomatic breakthrough that comes only three weeks after the communist regime conducted its first known atomic test.
The agreement was struck in a day of unpublicized discussions between the senior envoys from the United States, China and North Korea at a government guesthouse in Beijing. The U.S. negotiator, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, said the six-nation negotiations could resume as early as November or December.
I would have expected North Korea to stonewall talks as they have for more than two years on the hope that President Bush will take a hit and put those more interested in shoveling money to the Pillsbury Nuke Boy in power.
So why are the North Koreans agreeing to talks just before our mid-term elections when such talks will undercut opposition claims that the administration's party is ill-suited to negotiating a solution to the North Korean nuclear problem?
Could it be that the North Koreans don't believe they can possibly endure two more years of pressure by the Bush administration without cracking? Oh, and the pressure from South Korea, Japan, and especially China who all felt screwed by the North Korean nuclear test attempt.
Would the Chinese have felt so humiliated at North Korea's actions if they hadn't been involved in the talks and were just watching us talk to North Korea?
But really, agreeing to talk right now a week before our elections seems rather significant.
Squeeze those bastards until they collapse. Don't let up. Don't save them. Smile and chat at the six-party talks, but give the North Koreans nothing of significance.
