Brand new North Korea folly

It's pretty shocking to see that the United States is considering paying nuclear blackmail to Kim Jung Il in the form of economic and energy aid if he gives up his nuclear weapons program. I totally expected this kind of poor foreign policy during the Clinton administration, but I expect much better from George W. Bush.

The 1994 Agreed Framework, which North Korea never honored, essentially paid off Kim Jung Il with the necessities to prop up his regime in return for his not pursuing nuclear weapons. The agreement that has been reached just today essentially does the same thing - pay off Kim to keep him from doing what he has already done, and what we hope he will not continue to do, even though he will.

Sanctions that continue to squeeze Kim's regime and an impressive show of force in the Sea of Japan are the only real means of getting him to heel. Anything short of that is sending the message to the world that bad behavior is rewarded. In these times, that is most certainly the wrong message to be sending.

President Bush still has an opportunity to reject this "agreement" on its face. And he should. It is no agreement of any kind. It's an opportunity to see the United States buckle like a belt.