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No “red line” from U.S. after new North Korean rocket launch

The U.S. wants to forcefully condemn what it believes is a “highly provocative act,” and that was the first public reaction from the White House late Tuesday. But it also is mindful of the turmoil on the Korean peninsula and treading carefully, offering no threat of military action or unspecified “consequences” associated with other hot spots…

“No doubt Pyongyang is pleased. It again has unsettled its leading adversaries. And it is in the news around the world,” said Doug Bandow, senior fellow at the Cato Institute. “The allies should have responded with a collective yawn. After all, the plan is nothing new. The DPRK has been testing rockets and missiles for years.”…

Despite its technological advances and military bluster, it’s doubtful that the North intends to strike first against the U.S.

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It’s a “mostly peaceful” ICBM program.

wte9 on December 13, 2012 at 12:23 PM

Despite its technological advances and military bluster, it’s doubtful that the North intends to strike first against the U.S.

Would the author of this piece care to bet the safety of his hometown on that?

Bitter Clinger on December 13, 2012 at 12:26 PM

Would the author of this piece care to bet the safety of his hometown on that?

Bitter Clinger on December 13, 2012 at 12:26 PM

The ultimate irony will be if/when NK launches at California and a Star Wars-esque system knocks them down; hopefully a liberal is in office so he/she can claim victory off of that and finally missile defense won’t be some BS crazy conservative idea.

Just like Obama’s administration killing bin Laden, he’d never stand a chance if it weren’t for conservatives before him.

John_Locke on December 13, 2012 at 12:36 PM

The U.S. wants to forcefully condemn what it believes is a “highly provocative act,” and that was the first public reaction from the White House late Tuesday

Heh. Meanwhile, the Norks enjoy a good bellylaugh at Barry’s impotence in front of the world.

a capella on December 13, 2012 at 12:37 PM

Maybe Secretary of State Clinton could arrange a reset-button ceremony with the Boy Emperor.

It worked out so well with Russia, even though Putin is calling her re-Sovietization claim “rubbish.”

Drained Brain on December 13, 2012 at 12:40 PM

Great !
A 20 some odd year old punk just flipped us the bird and we do… nothing.
We are encouraging more such actions.

Jabberwock on December 13, 2012 at 12:41 PM

The U.S. wants to forcefully condemn what it believes is a “highly provocative act,” and that was the first public reaction from the White House late Tuesday

Heh. Meanwhile, the Norks enjoy a good bellylaugh at Barry’s impotence in front of the world.

a capella on December 13, 2012 at 12:37 PM

Reminds me of that joke in Team America where Hans Blix tells Kim Jong-Il that the UN will send him a letter telling him how angry they are with him.

Bitter Clinger on December 13, 2012 at 12:42 PM

The ultimate irony will be if/when NK launches at California and a Star Wars-esque system knocks them down; hopefully a liberal is in office so he/she can claim victory off of that and finally missile defense won’t be some BS crazy conservative idea.

Just like Obama’s administration killing bin Laden, he’d never stand a chance if it weren’t for conservatives before him.

John_Locke on December 13, 2012 at 12:36 PM

Yeah, but it really sucks when libs benefit from the foresight of conservatives when the libs lack that same foresight.

Bitter Clinger on December 13, 2012 at 12:43 PM

2014:

Honolulu struck by nuclear missle, 300,000 dead

No military action from U.S.; “let cooler heads prevail,” says president Obama

Bat Chain Puller on December 13, 2012 at 12:55 PM

Meet The Press – July 16 2006 – Biden – Gingrich

MR. RUSSERT: Simple question. Would you promise North Korea and Iran the regimes could stay in place if they stopped a nuclear program?

MR. GINGRICH: Let, let me speak for my good friend here, because I don’t think he quite meant to say that. They want an agreement that we will not militarily take them down.

SEN. BIDEN: Yeah.

MR. GINGRICH: They’re not asking—I mean we would never give them…

SEN. BIDEN: Yeah.

MR. GINGRICH: …an agreement that we wouldn’t try through—exactly as we did in Poland, in Czechoslovakia, in Hungary, in Ukraine, to encourage people to live, live in a free country. We’re not going to give up the right to say that—to North Korea, “You are a terrible dictatorship destroying your own people, and they deserve the right to self government.”

MR. RUSSERT: But you would pledge, you would pledge no military intervention?

MR. GINGRICH: We’re not going to intervene. There’s no prospect of the United States cheerfully, out of the blue, starting a war with North Korea. But let me point out what Senator Biden implied here. If they believed us, and if we looked them in the eye and said, “You put up a missile we’ll take it down, and by the way, you fire one round into South Korea, this regime’s over,” if they believed that, they wouldn’t fire into South Korea. And by the way, if they believed it, they wouldn’t put a missile on the launching pad.
MR. RUSSERT: To be continued. Newt Gingrich, Joe Biden.

SEN. BIDEN: We should tell them that.

MR. RUSSERT: Thank you for an interesting discussion.