ABC News: North Korea preparing to test another nuke (while Bush and Levin want more troops in Iraq)

[antiimperialist]

Here we can see the idiocy of Bush, and to a minor extent Carl Levin. (I say minor because he usually does not make the idiotic statements he made today).

NK continues to challenge the world, and will now test another nuclear bomb, ABC reports:
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2771492&page=1

Our top military personnel tells us that the air forces need to expand and are strained, yet these two individuals call for a surge, temporary or not.

[Eugene]

1. Reuters: US No evidence of imminent NKorea nuclear test

US No evidence of imminent NKorea nuclear test
05 Jan 2007 00:49:24 GMT
Source: Reuters

By David Morgan

WASHINGTON, Jan 4 (Reuters) - The United States has no evidence to suggest North Korea
is about to test a nuclear weapon, U.S. officials said on Thursday in response to a
report the communist state was preparing to conduct an atomic test.

ABC News reported that Pyongyang appeared to have made preparations for a new nuclear
test to follow its first test on Oct. 9 -- a move that drew swift world condemnation
and punitive U.N. sanctions.

"There's no reason to believe that a test is imminent," a U.S. intelligence official
said. Asked if there were signs of preparation for such a test, he said: "There is not
evidence to indicate that."

Another U.S. official said he had no reason to believe North Korea was making
preparations for a test and that there was considerable uncertainty in the U.S. government
about whether Pyongyang had any intent to conduct another one.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N04407928.htm

Of course, South Korean experts said much the same thing shortly before
the first device was detonated. There is no telling with North Korea.

BTW the headline at the link is: North Korea Prepping Nuclear Weapons Test

[antiimperialist]

2. U.S. officials vs. U.S. officials

Who should we believe?

Well, ABC did say:

but the intelligence community divides over whether another test is likely.

Although it also added:

Two other senior defense officials confirmed that recent intelligence suggested that the North Koreans appear to be ready to test a nuclear weapon again

[struggle4progress]

7. Contradictory statements everywhere: just another day in Bushworld:

[seriousstan]

3. You would use the military against NK how exactly?

[antiimperialist]

4. Let the military figure out how

Lets just say that both Democrats and Republicans agree that Kim Jong Il is a threat to the world. And you need to have a non-strained military ready for whatever action is needed against NK in the future.
This is why Clinton kept him, or at least did an effective job at keeping NK, from fully developing nuuclear weapons.

[seriousstan]

5. That is not the military's job. The are the tool, not the craftsman.

So you have no answer for my question?

Also, did Germany keep us from fully developing nuclear weapons during WW2?

[antiimperialist]

12. Yes, the military is the craftsman

The military is the craftsman. The top military chiefs, including the commander in chief decide how to invade a country.

[Warren Stupidity]

6. So you think it would be a good idea to start another war?

Both Democrats and Republicans agreed that Saddam Hussein was a threat to the world, and so with that agreement in hand we went out a started a war of aggression against Iraq. That my friend was a very stupid and very wrong thing to do. Have we learned nothing? Would the Iraq war have been justified if the Idiots In Charge had found some actual weapons capable of killing more than a dozen people at a time? You don't start wars because of potential threats. You don't start wars at all. It is simply the wrong way to solve problems. We have a name for people who start wars: war criminals. We established that standard 60 years ago at Nuremberg.

[antiimperialist]

10. NK might start the war too

The scenario I present could be in response to an attack by NK of US interests abroad, or of another nation.
The WAPO once reported:

Stretched by Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States lacks a sufficiently robust ability to put large numbers of "boots on the ground" in case of a major emergency elsewhere, such as the Korean Peninsula, in the view of some Republican and Democratic lawmakers and some military leaders.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A48306-2005Mar18?language=printer

[Warren Stupidity]

13. NK is not going to start anything. nt.

[951-Riverside]

16. Same way you use them in Iraq

Just keep sending them in until the enemy gets tired of killing then... VICTORY! :patriot:

[Rage for Order]

8. Kim Jong dildo says "LOOK AT ME! I'M IMPORTANT!"

What the hell do we care if NK develops nukes? We need to pull all of our troops out of south korea (among many other places) and let this REGIONAL issue be dealt with by countries IN THE REGION.

[MichiganVote]

9. Where is the statement by Levin? I don't see it. Is it in another article?

[antiimperialist]

11. He supports the surge with conditions

A story about his comments:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,241581,00.html

[MichiganVote]

14. These are the remarks from the Fox News that Levin supposedly made:

"There are a lot of ways you could have a surge, it's not just 'surge versus non-surge,'" Levin said. "If a temporary surge is part of a reduction of U.S. forces in four to six months with political milestones to achieving a political solution agreed upon by Iraqis" then he would be on board.

----I don't see a problem with Levin's reported remarks per se

Levin, D-Mich., said he wanted to see some milestones achieved before a surge so that Iraqis understood that the U.S. commitment is not open-ended.

-----Isn't that what the what the Dem's have been pushing for?????

"I can't believe the president is going to come forward and say 'we're going to increase troops,' " Levin said, adding that it would merely be a "military solution" and "counterintuitive to what's happening on the ground."

-----Now in that sentence (as reported, remember this is Fox News) I think Levin has left his reason behind. I think that's exactly what * is going to say and then lie about how many for how long

Levin noted that some commanders who served in Iraq have said no military solution can be found there. Levin also pointed out the midterm election results and said the American people wouldn't support such a move by the president.

-----Still not seeing much of a problem with Levin's remarks unless (a. you're expecting Fox to report his full comments fairly or (b. you're expecting the guy to say full withdrawl by Saturday or else

[antiimperialist]

15. Waste of money

No solution will be achieved with a surge. I think all or most experts agree on that. General Abizaid said more troops are not necessary. The Joint Chief s of Staff have spoken against a temporary surge. The ISG did not even mention it.

[bananarepublican]

17. Is North Korea/Iran more dangerous than Pakistan?

The last time I looked...

... Pakistan had developed nukes outside of any international structures. Iran has been working within the international community.

... North Korea is not well known for harboring radical "Islamo-fascists" (whatever the heck "Islamo-fascist" means).

... Even if Iran makes a nuke or two, how long before they can reach any kind of parity with Isreal's estimated 600+ warhead stockpile?

... India developed its nuclear weapons outside of the international non-proliferation process (a-la-Pakistan). Why now reward them with American nuclear support?

Consistancy does not seem to be the Bush administration's strong suit! SOMETHING ELSE IS GOING ON!!!!!