On May 20, 2009, John Bolton wrote an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal titled “Get Ready for Another North Korean Nuke Test” in which he noted that the complacency of the Obama administration about North Korea’s nuclear ambitions (and Iran’s) was misplaced:
“The curtain is about to rise again on the long-running nuclear tragicomedy, “North Korea Outwits the United States.” Despite Kim Jong Il’s explicit threats of another nuclear test, U.S. Special Envoy Stephen Bosworth said last week that the Obama administration is “relatively relaxed” and that “there is not a sense of crisis.” They’re certainly smiling in Pyongyang.”
As usual, the Left lashed out at Bolton, who may be third after George Bush and Dick Cheney in being portrayed as crazy and paranoid. Bolton has been derided as “the neocon’s neocon” who “laps up the hosannas of fellow knuckle-draggers.”
Allison Kilkenny at Huffington Post applied the left-wing attack on Bolton specifically as to Bolton’s North Korea position, in a post titled, Update: John Bolton Still Crazy:
You have to hand it to the Wall Street Journal. At a time when the newspaper industry is desperately trying to remind America it’s important and relevant, the WSJ has carved out a nice little niche for itself as a halfway house for discredited political figures. I think it’s really humane of them. Their most recent charity case is John Bolton, America’s former ambassador to the United Nations….
Today, Bolton chose to growl at the old, but reliable, enemy of North Korea. This is a particularly vintage move when one considers North Korea already tried to strike fear into the hearts of Americans last month when they tested a missile that fizzled and fell into the ocean 1,300 miles off the east coast of Japan. Bolton’s stance is pretty brave because his frenzied ideology flies in the face of scholarly counsel.
It turns out that Ms. Kilkenny’s post proved just who still is crazy, and it’s not Bolton. Please read all of Ms. Kilkenny’s anti-Bolton diatribe. It is a lesson in why we cannot, cannot, cannot, trust the Left with our national security.
Don’t take my word for it, read today’s headlines:
North Korea declares it conducted nuclear test
Outrage over N Korea nuclear test
North Korea Announces 2nd Test of Nuclear Device
Which gets me to Iran. Here is what the Left is saying about the Iranian threat, the same psycho-political babble as Kilkenny, as in this guest-post, Break Out The NeoCon Fainting Couch, at Attackerman. The author argues that since Iran’s religious leaders have said nuclear weapons are bad, Iran’s military and intelligence leaders could not possibly want nuclear weapons:
The Supreme Leader [of Iran] can not get up and preach against the morality of nuclear weapons and call them “un-Islamic” and then wink and nod to his followers and have everything work out fine. One of the consequences of a theistic society is that the citizens follow the leader’s spiritual teachings for better or for worse. So how would they even find someone to work on a program that they have been taught will guarantee them a corner of Hell?
Let’s hope that the North Korean nuclear test is a wake up call for the Obama administration on Iran. So that we are not in a position of demanding another apology from left-wing bloggers when Iran detonates its nuclear device, or announces that it has constructed a device based on the North Korean testing.
UPDATE: Don Surber has a good round-up: Lefties on North Korea. And so does Troglopundit: If John Bolton writes a column predicting that I win a hundred million dollars, I’ll split it with him
UPDATE No. 2: There will be no apology. Quite the contrary, you should not believe your lying eyes when you read Kilkenny’s original post quoted above, at least if you read the new post North Korea’s Unsurprising Actions:
I apparently have to clarify an important point. No one should be entirely surprised that North Korea has detonated a bomb. Kim Jong Il launches a missile or detonates a bomb whenever he wants attention or aid from the United States. He tested a bomb back in 2006, and also launched a missile in April. The detonation of this latest bomb does not somehow de-crazy the rest of John Bolton’s Wall Street Journal column from last week in which he orders Obama to “put down Kim Jong Il’s script.” Whatever that means. One presumes he means to “get tough.” Whatever that means.
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Related Post: Playing The Nork Card
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Comments
Well BHO popped out into the Rose Garden and “strongly condemns” this nuclear test and then he told them they’ll never get respect by issuing threats. ( He ought to know.)
I bet that scared the bejeezus out of them.
Thanks for the link on Blog of the Day! I put up a post in honor of this momentous occasion.
In all seriousness, I’d love it if you stopped by and gave me some idea of just why The Scratching Post was picked.
Just remember, we need Kilkenny and her ilk. What better way to marginalize the far left than to point to intellectually corrupt loons like this? She provides the perfect case study in why the far left is incapable of constructively adding to solutions: first she shows she’s childishly biased against Bolton, then she shows she’s comically wrong about N. Korea, and any minute now I’m sure she’ll find a way to shove her third foot in her mouth. Great stuff.
Seriously, anyone not riddled with Bush Derangement Syndrome (most of the population) will look at people like Kilkenny and reach the obvious conclusion – not only are they incapable of adding to solutions, they actually have no interest in solutions. So thanks Kilkenny, please keep up great work in getting the far left spayed and neutered. For the rest of us, make sure when you talk to you kids about how to disagree with someone that they understand Kilkenny demonstrates how NOT to be taken seriously.
Actually, Bolton comes in fourth. Don’t forget Karl Rove.
As to Kilkenny and the rest of the Lunatic Left, if John Bolton were to predict that the Sun will rise in the East tomorrow, they’d still ridicule him.
So, are you telling us that North Korea whipped up a nuclear bomb in 4 months? Correctly predicting a test doesn’t make any of his judgments for Bush suddenly correct. He was one of the central players in the Defense Intelligence Agency whose job it was to generate intelligence to support the neocons and Cheney’s war ambitions, which were laid out in PNAC in 1998 – a complete disaster for the the US, except for Bush’s buddies who have robbed us blind. Bush/Cheney was the biggest failure this country has suffered thru, and Bolton certainly played his part. I hope to see him in the docket at the Hague with his bosses.
Screw John R. Bolton.
He’s a Riech-wing neocon Chickenhawk who’s just itching to take American to war again at the drop of a hat.
Wow, you’re really breaking new ground here. Haven’t heard of this left vs. right dichotomy in U.S. politics before. Thanks for reminding us that conservatives are always right, the left always wrong and crazy. Four legs good, two legs bad! Nice to see you putting all your expensive college degrees to work. Really, your original take on American politics is refreshing. You’re a more polished Joe the Plumber, as far as I can see.
http://www.wardensworld.blogspot.com
John Bolton is crazy like a fox. Lefties are just crazy, period. The ones above me are prime examples.
I’ll bet Bolton gets up out of bed everyday wishing he could smell burning napalm in the morning.
When is Bush going to apologize to the nation for starting a war in Iraq that led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and over 4,000 American soldiers? Or is that crazy, too, Peg C.? You think calling people crazy Lefties is contributing something to the political discussion? Please… I come to my political opinions honestly and your juvenile response is quite unlikely to alter it. Your side lost the election, and now that you find yourself on the wrong side of democracy, you can’t deal with it. That’s too bad. Why do you hate America so much?
First there will never and I mean NEVER a docket at the Hague with any American President or his buddies. What would it be first Bush and then Clinton for not acting. I wonder where it would stop. It takes a very goofy person to even think of it. And having been a Democrat all my life, I would be the first in line to protect any President from the so called Hague. I think we can take care of our own and we don’t need any outside help. Instead of crying about the past, I say lets get on with the now.
Give it up Warden, you are making an idiot of yourself. Trying to promote your soft blog by posting comments on someone else’s website? Why should anyone take credit in what you’re saying when you shove your domain name next to your rantings.
Hey Jose, I’m really gonna miss your readership. You’re saying I should post comments anonymously, otherwise I’m shoving my domain name down your throat. You’re bordering on incoherency: “Why would anyone take credit in what you’re saying…” What the hell does that even mean?
On your best day you couldn’t shine my shoes as a writer or as a commenter! And I am amazed that you could go through 4 years of my posts and come to the conclusion that it’s soft. That makes you a moron in my book. Where’s your contribution, coward? You’re a sycophant for this lawyer clown’s Website.
I’m done with you.
“davemartin”: Put the Hooka down… It’s empty already…
“The Warden”: Take the kotex out…It’s full already…
Wow, what a brave man, ManBearPig. You’re very tough from the safe confines of your mommy’s basement. I have a feeling face to face you wouldn’t be so brave, chickenhawk. Any time, ANY PLACE, punk!! You’re a true intellectual giant. You lost the election, now enjoy the next 4 years!!!!!! I know I will.
TheWarden has too idle hands. He continually sips the leftist koolaid. You can tell by his reference to the discredited Lacent numbers.
Warden, four years of blogging and you’re still posting comments on other people’s websites to gain readership? What’s your day job?
On your best day you couldn’t shine my shoes as a writer or as a commenter!Remember, you’re unemployed.
I think the left will apologize to Bolton for being correct as soon as the right apologizes to Richard Clark for being correct and Scott Ritter for being correct.
Soooooooooo, it might be a while…….
“Reich-wing neocon chickenhawk…”
That’s really clever. Did you hear your mom say that?
Great point, Hank. Good to see some logic on this post.
“Remember, you’re unemployed.” What’s your point, Mishu? Belittling someone who lost your job? Typical right-wing class, and a major reason why your party has been marginalized to the point of parody: a total lack of empathy for anyone who’s down.
And Jose, I’ll post wherever and whenever the hell I want. You don’t like contrary viewpoints, switch on Fair and Balanced Fox News like the rest of your dwindling party base.
Does it matter the exact number of Iraqis who died? What’s your number? And it’s “Lancet” by the way. And discredited by whom? Yeah, I’m the one drinking the kool-aid! Bush supporters are the real cultists in this country, with the likes of Rush and Cheney attacking Colin Powell because he dares deviate from right wing talking points. Nice company you keep there, Mishu.
There is a reason why John Bolton was a Bush stealth interim recess appointment and resigned before he could be voted on… he’s Chickenhawk with a lust for war and could never get confirmation from the Senate.
Warden, what does your lack of blogging success have anything to do with the notion of empathy?
A “kiss-up, kick-down kind of guy”.
You wingnuts can have him.
i find it funny that we would apologize. Was he not in charge when North Korea detonated the first bomb???
This was during the whole let’s not talk to our enemies approach.
Nice reading comprehension there, Jose. I’ll try to go slow here for your benefit. I was responding to what Mishu said in his/her comment: “REMEMBER YOU’RE UNEMPLOYED” which I said was a typically classless comment from your side, probably from someone born with a silver spoon in their mouth who never worked a day in their life. Do you follow my point now, genius?
Again, a non-entity like yourself could never discourage me. I’ll ask one more time: where is your contribution? Point us to your accomplishments in life. I’ve been a journalist, a freelance writer, a short story writer. I’ve been published more times than you’ve commented.
The blog is a hobby. I don’t expect to make money from it or rise anywhere close to your station in life. I didn’t even mean to post the website address along with my first comment here, I only did it because I had trouble signing in with my screen name. Sorry you were so threatened by it. Says a lot more about you than me. AS IF I OWE YOU some kind of explanation. You can’t refute my points, so you attack the person like PigFaceBore above.
What else ya got, bozo?
Warden,
You may want to do some independent research on Iraqi deaths. According to UN figures, the Iraqi mortality rate actually dropped over the past 5 years, compared to every year from 1980 to 2002. And the infant mortality rate, which increased steadily from 1980 to 2002 is dropping.
Lancet published figures a month or so prior to US elections in 2004 and 2006 using highly suspect data.
But, if you are concerned about civilian deaths, how do you feel about the 5,000 or so Serbian civilians killed by Clinton et al or the increasing number of Pakistani civilians killed in the Bush-Obama Pakistan Drone wars. At last count, it was 700 civilians killed along with 14 Al Qaeda.
Bolton ‘predicts’ that N. Korea would test another nuclear device ?
Wow ! I’m impressed !
About as ‘intuitive’ as him ‘predicting’ that Israel would eventually slaughter another 1000 innocent civilians in some Arab nation.
It’s a given.
Thanks Warden, I just see the right’s ad hominem attacks as success in getting the point across.
Obsess much warden? I guess you got a lot of time on your hands. Oh, sorry. “Bad luck”. Right. Not competence issues or poor work habits, no never.
Those Lancet numbers were a political stunt, not science. Careful with that link. It has some math in it. But you published allegedly. You can hack it.
This is my first time on this site and, while the blog is interesting, the comments are like reading a bunch of middle school kids insulting one another. Seriously, maybe it is about time we stick to the issues and not the distractions. No president is perfect – not a single one. Let’s hope Obama has the cajones to handle N Korea and Iran so that America and the lives that we know (and have fought for in the past) survive …
Got WMD?
Iraq was a phony-baloney war based on cherry picked intel sold by by Cheney, Rumsfield and a plethora of neocons.
In his rush to war, Bush kicked out the UN inspectors who in country, doing their jobs.
He gave the inspectors 48 hours to leave.
Google
“U.S advises weapons inspectors to leave Iraq”.
The Republicans hate Social Programs… unless of course it’s in a foreign country.
Iraq, at a TRILLION DOLLARS PLUS is the most expensive Social Experiment in American history.
Bush had no business invading that country while the UN weapons inspector were there doing their jobs and keeping Saddam in check.
The Muslims in Iraq see America as Christian Crusaders and want us to die.
“U.S advises weapons inspectors to leave Iraq”
It is a lesson in why we cannot, cannot, cannot, trust the Left with our national security.On the contrary, after the fiascos in Afghanistan and Iraq, we can’t trust conservatives.
Great point, Hank. Good to see some logic on this postWhy didn’t you start off with it then?
Re-read your first post. Do you not see what you’re doing?
I wonder if discredited writers include Thomas Frank.
“He’s a Riech-wing neocon Chickenhawk who’s just itching to take American to war again at the drop of a hat.”
Yes, Mr. Martin, wouldn’t want to taint the debate with ad hominem attacks unsullied by pure, crushing logic, would we?
I have to laugh when i read the comments from the
Left-Wing looney bin!!! How stupid can people be? You all make REAL Americans SICK!!! Those that see the truth, Admit if they are wrong, Are not for babysitting terrorist captured on the field of battle, etc, etc, Can yo all not see what those handling Obama are doing…'O' is bought & paid for…This Nation grows WEEKER daily, At home & Internationally, China 'bitch-slaps' Obama daily as does the rest of the third-world dictators & nuts! It is quite sickening if you let yourself look at the ENTIRE picture with an OPEN mind.
Warden,
as far as class, what would you know of it . You sure don’t exhibit any.
I have no particular animosity towards Bolton, Bush, or conservatives (although I cannot really stomach Cheney – but this has nothing to do with Obama). Anyway, as a Leftist, I had no doubt that North Korea would do something “nuclear” and scandalous. So, I do not understand why others would doubt this. I do believe, however, that many conservatives wrongfully blame Obama for North Korea’s latest round of defiance. This has been going on for decades. The old “Korea” is split in half for a reason!
So much for Boy George W’s approach to North Korea. His “agreement” with them was complete bullshit. As with everything else in the evil idiot’s term, he merely kicked his failures down the road for someone else to deal with.
And you nutcases want an apology? Welcome to the wilderness, assholes. There’s a reason this country is looking at you and puking its guts out.
N. Korea launches a missile over the protected air space of Japan, no big deal. N. Korea lights an underground nuke, no big deal. When Iran tests an nuke underground, it too will be no big deal.
When will it be a big deal? When one of these out-of-control countries actually uses one? Will that get Obama’s attention?
We wouldn’t be having this discussion about N. Korea if Clinton hadn’t provided the tools necessary to help N. Korea make a nuke back in the 1990s; it was provided for “peaceful electrical power generation”. Isn’t this what Iran is saying their nuclear program is all about?
People are living in squalor in N. Korea yet they the money and resources to maintain a nuclear bomb program. Who is looking to invade N. Korea? What are they protecting themselves from? S. Korean aggression?
Until N. Korea dissolves it tyrannical control over its people (re: sets them free), frees people from re-education, work and political prisons, then the world can and will support N. Korea. Until then, the only thing one can do is to isolate them until they realize bad behavior will not be rewarded.
BTW, I find the left attacking people who post, and not sticking to the problem a sign of their lack of maturity and lack of understand on dealing with out-of-control governments. This is a typical tactic when one tries to destroy the truth and won’t admit it. Really sad.
You’ll never get an apology from the ‘ arrested development’ crowd on the left. That would mean taking responsibility.And therefore the consequences there of.They will never accept that their actions have meaning. But they can’t even accept the concept of right or wrong, so they lay secure in their belief that nothing matters but what they want. No reality. Only their desires matter. They don’t accept or they don’t care that their actions may have consequences. So their actual existence has little meaning. So why bother to apologize when you know your worthless? You’ll find that in their world everything is everyone else’s fault, not mine, so why should I say sorry?
Try having any sort of reasonable diolouge with them.( See Warden, for example) He obviously acts on his emotional intuition, which is shaped by his poor attitude. Will he admit this? No, never. Instead he will thrive in the rantings and incoherent raves of his fellow children.Sorry is never having to say your sorry.
“You’ll never get an apology from the ‘ arrested development’ crowd on the [removed]. That would mean taking responsibility.And therefore the consequences there of.They will never accept that their actions have meaning. But they can’t even accept the concept of right or wrong, so they lay secure in their belief that nothing matters but what they want. No reality. Only their desires matter. They don’t accept or they don’t care that their actions may have consequences. So their actual existence has little meaning. So why bother to apologize when you know your worthless? You’ll find that in their world everything is everyone else’s fault, not mine, so why should I say sorry?
Try having any sort of reasonable diolouge with them.( See Warden, for example) He obviously acts on his emotional intuition, which is shaped by his poor attitude. Will he admit this? No, never. Instead he will thrive in the rantings and incoherent raves of his fellow children.Sorry is never having to say your sorry.”
Wow, I read through your statement and thought it was a critique of neo-con philosophy of pre-emptive war. In particular, I thought of John Bolton’s strategy toward Iran, Syria, Iraq and N. Korea and how he became so marginalized by Bush 43 he began to lecture against his former administration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuqNWG9sbuE
I think the entire argument by the author is the essence of beating up a strawman — comparing a self-described humorist/satrist thoughts on N. Korea to a former (even if discredited) UN Ambassador.
I’m amazed as well that Bolton’s neo-conservative neo-colonialist expantionist foreign polices actually unite liberals, conservatives and libertarians.
By some form of technological magic , the word ‘Left’ was removed from my posting, thereby making it’s point moot. Apparently using words like,’neo conservative neo-colonialist expansionist’ means people on the starboard side of the political spectrum. So to be politically correct and not to offend oversensitive and underdeveloped ego’s, I’ll refer to the port side of the political spectrum as the ‘cocondensational communistic cohabitants ‘.
I hope this leads to a better understanding between our peoples.
Oldwolves — you are missing the point of the removal entirely.
Perhaps my rhetoric was a bit much 😉
My core point is this, Bolton, at present, is simply an outlier from both liberal and conservative foreign policy views.
So, I deliberately meant to be provocative, but I want to engage in a debate (and perhaps learn) why Bolton’s views should be U.S. foreign policy considering how isolated he appears to be at present.
If Bolton has the correct view on N. Korea, Syrian, Iran and everyone else he suggests aggressive actions toward, then a lot of people owe him an apology.
In the interest of actual policy services rendered by Bolton, Bush 43 admins should be the first to apologize. Bolton himself freely acknowledges he lost the policy argument in the Bush 43 admin toward N. Korea (and other states).
I removed the word “left” b/c your diatribe is amazingly similar to both liberal and conservative diatribes about Bolton and neoconservative’s foreign policy.
The removal makes the statement ironically reusable and shows how little critique the statement contained as to why Bolton may be correct.
However, I acknowledge that was not your intent.
[
I’m sorry if I did not make that is not clear — I meant to push debate on Bolton’s policies, not get side-tracked on what I consider to be a strawman about “pure” “right” v. “left” foreign policy views.
For example, would it be fair to take Ron Paul’s view of foreign policy and consider it to encapsulate the position of the GOP/Right/Conservatives, even though Paul claims that his is the only “real” conservative position.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5_ThKD2g4U
(cite, in Paul’s own words)
]
Beyond the left’s brow-beating of Bolton, there are plenty of “plain” conservatives who are uninterested in neoconservative foreign policy as well and thus brow-beat Bolton from time to time. (Paul, as noted above)
Rather than actually defending Bolton’s record against both liberal, libertarian, conservative and the Bush 43 administration (or talk about the foreign policy reversals toward Iran and N.Korea during 43 2nd term), the author of the article has set up a series of weird _partisan_ strawman arguments.
The author’s framework, Bolton v. Left, includes Bolton in a way I don’t think is accurate.In foreign policy there seems to be this odd agreement between libertarians, plain old conservatives and plain old liberals. A “humble foreign policy,” similar to what candidate Bush 43 proposed. Thus, I found your statement quite interesting, with one word removed, directed at Bolton.
I find it much more interesting to talk about the following questions.
What Bolton’s strategy for dealing with N. Korea would be?
Why woudl that policy be superior to Bush 41, Clinton, Bush 43 dealings with N. Korea?
How Obama are (or should) deal with N. Korea?
However, in your response you’ve avoided how outcast the neoconservative foreign policy position is relative to both liberals and conservatives.
Whoa! I’m late to the party–sorry about that. Hey! Did any of you fine folks notice that Kilkenny never said Bolton was “crazy” for warning of another N.Korean nuke test? Y kant wingnutz reed?
You are late, and wrong. Here is what she said under her post that Bolton is still crazy: “And yet all of these facts couldn’t soothe the nerves of our mustachioed maverick, John Bolton. Get Ready for Another North Korean Nuke Test he hollers at the top of the page.”