GEE, THEY SEEMED SO TRUSTWORTHY:

U.S.: North Korea Says Has Nukes (GEORGE GEDDA, Oct 16, , 2002, Associated Press)

In a startling revelation, North Korea has told the United States it has a secret nuclear weapons program in violation of an 1994 agreement with the United States, the White House said Wednesday night.

Spokesman Sean McCormack said North Korea was in "material breach" of the agreement under which it promised not to develop nuclear weapons.

The commitment had raised hopes for a nuclear-free Korean peninsula, but that hope is dashed for the time being, and relations with the United States are back to square one. [...]

U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said North Korea told U.S. officials that it is no longer bound by the anti-nuclear agreement.

The dramatic disclosure complicates President Bush's campaign to disarm Iraq under threat of military force, coming almost nine months after Bush said North Korea was part of an "axis of evil" along with Iran and Iraq.

It seems unlikely, however, that North Korea will become a target country for the United States much as Iraq is nowadays. With war plans for Iraq already on the drawing board and a broader war on terrorism still under way, threats against North Korea could leave the United States overextended.

Until now, the United States' main concern with North Korea has been its sale of ballistic missiles to Syria, Iran and other countries. Now North Korea's nuclear program is added to the mix.

This story seems to be precisely wrong. The fact that North Korea was able to continue its program without our knowing suggests that Iraq may well have done the same. If anything, it strengthens the case for taking out the Iraqi government post haste. It also strengthens the case for adding Syria to the axis of evil.
Posted by Orrin Judd at October 17, 2002 12:21 AM