OCTOBER SURPRISE:

Bush Signals Patience on North Korea Is Waning: Directive Sent to Team At Talks in Beijing (Glenn Kessler, March 4, 2004, The Washington Post)

After a Chinese request for greater flexibility during last week's six-nation talks on the North Korean nuclear crisis, President Bush instructed the U.S. delegation to make it clear that the administration's patience in diplomatically seeking North Korea's dismantling of its weapons program could run out, U.S. officials said.

The instructions, delivered as a third day of talks began last Friday in Beijing, came as the negotiators at the talks struggled to draft a detailed, two-page statement laying out the steps for resolving the crisis. Bush, after consultation with Vice President Cheney and other senior aides, sent the curt directive after China sought to include in the statement a reference to North Korea's demand that the United States change its "hostile policy."

Bush's answer, once it was submitted by the U.S. delegation, essentially halted the discussions on the detailed statement, U.S. officials said.

Even Ted Kennedy says we should intervene in North Korea--nice to have that in your back pocket if you're the president.

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 5, 2004 9:39 PM