Well, ok, it's obvious, but it hasn't been asked enough...

How much more time should Saddam have had? Twelve years wasn't "exhausting" diplomacy?

And "gone it alone?" Really?

Well, it would have been nice if the Bush admin had leaned on the South Koreans to send 10,000 - 20,000 troops, to make up for the ones that the US has near the DMZ, and failing that, pull half of the troops out of Korea a year ago...

Michael,

Bush is playing Korea perfectly. North Korea has played a very interesting game in the South. Korea might be the most racist society on earth. It is commonplace for interracial orphans to 'die' under State care. For centuries, Koreans used to kill any non-Korean who showed up there. North Korean operatives in the South encourage this kind of racism in the schools, unions and universities, and use it as a means of directing the hatred against Americans. The presence of two Koreas is taught in South Korean schools as not being the result of the Kims being loony, but instead as the effect of foreigners interfering in Korean affairs. If the evil Americans would just leave, everything would be all right.

Most Koreans don't buy into this claptrap, but a significant minority of liberal arts majors, artsy-fartsy types, unskilled workers and other losers do.

The Bush Administration, on its own timetable, has made it clear that South Korean national security is primarily a South Korean affair. We are happy to help, and our economy would be affected by a conquest of the South by the North. However, the South Korean leadership is fully aware that we and the Japanese would muddle through.

You will note that the anti-American rhetoric there has gone way down in the last year or so.

Bart:

My wife lived in Korea for 2-1/2 years in the '70s and your portrayal of Koerean society matches hers except for the anti-Americanism as the war generation was then in charge. There is an easy way to get the dissident elements in Korea to pipe down, severely restrict student visas. They demonstrate against us and then apply to come to school here. Take away that candy and Kim looks a lot less palatable by comparison.

Bart:

So, why is announcing troop pull-outs now better than doing so a year ago ?
The US could have just claimed it needed the troops in Iraq, regardless of where they ended up.

Because in this way it doesn't appear to be America fleeing a 'popular revolt' of students, pseudo-intellectuals, etc, which would lead to political disruption in South Korea. Because the move is not the product of American weakness and 'imperial overstretch.' Because it reflects the result of discussions with the South Koreans concerning a better, more effective, less internally disruptive means of defending the ROK, still achieving the same goal. Because it shows that we are treating South Korea as an ally, not a colony, in that we did not move precipitously and unilaterally.

The delay cost us very little, South Korean defense remains unchanged, America's commitment to assist the defense of its East Asian friends remains in place, and the protestors have been made irrelevant. The move, and the prolonged discussion in the Korean media before it happened, forced a discussion of the true nature of North Korea, opening up the eyes of many average Koreans to the realities of life. It also panicked Korean Big Business, and they went into action with a 'We Love America' campaign.

I have to concur with Bart's analysis.

South Korea is a lost cause anyway. It can no more withstand its eventual unity with the North than West Germany could with the East.

What about the assimilation of NH into the MA suburbs?

rat:

We're more Republican than ever and they're electing Republican governors.