House Editorial: Bombs over Pyongyang
A war is only pre-emptive when you know they can’t fight back
Posted on October 12, 2006

President Bush and friends led the United States into Iraq to follow through on the U.N. resolutions ignored by Saddam Hussein, when he failed to stop the programs intended to develop weapons of mass destruction.

U.S. citizens were assured of the invasion’s necessity by the administration. Those same citizens were also assured of Iraq’s link with the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Both reasons have since been proven false, making the Bush administration 0-for-2 thus far in war mongering.

Make that 0-for-3.

Last week, North Korea announced the development of those weapons of mass destruction promised by Iraq after years of threatening to seemingly deaf ears.

The response from the U.S. government thus far has been tepid at best, which is puzzling since the country is dealing with a legitimate threat, instead of  the perceived one that merited a U.S. invasion of Iraq.

It is relatively certain North Korea has developed nuclear capabilities after the underground tests last week. But for some reason, this time, Bush is going the way of diplomacy instead of doing his best Dirty Harry and shooting first, then considering an exit strategy later. And with his Magnum still pointing at the Middle East, diplomacy in the Far East may be the only answer with U.S. forces already stretched thin — and the uncouth dictator Kim Jong-Il of North Korea knows it.

For whatever reason, the United States invaded Iraq. Perhaps they had weapons of mass destruction. Maybe they supported attacks on the United States. Perhaps it was just that Hussein just tried to kill W’s daddy.

Whatever the explanation, the United States ended up going into Iraq only to discover an empty armory and a country more equipped for medieval warfare than modern, and in the process became a perpetual baby sitter.

Still, while Iraq sinks into civil war and the Arab world grumbles about its Western visitors, North Korea is very much united and very nuclear-powered.

Iraq has become a necessity because the Bush administration made it and will be a continuing headache for presidents to come. For 1,000 years, the West has been fixated on the Middle East with varying nations taking their turns at occupation. Today, it is time for the United States, United Nations and the world to look further east and hear the sound of North Korea splitting atoms.