The Senescent Man

From wretchard at the Belmont Club regarding the pronouncment by North Korea that, indeed, they do possess nuclear weapons:

Well how about that? Kim Jong Il actually lied to Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. Who would have thought it possible? [Ahem!] The problem with nuclear weapons nonproliferation agreements today is that they create the temptation to plan contingencies on the basis of intent rather than capability. North Korea is a case in point. The diplomatic approach toward North Korea depended not on its actual capability but on the perception of its capability. Nothing changed over 24 hours except the North Korean press release claiming the possession of nuclear weapons; yet the announcement, not the reality, made all the difference. The reason the fiction, if fiction it was, lasted so long is that so many desperately wanted to believe that WMDs could be contained, so that the music could keep playing and everyone could return to the old games of saving the whales, dancing in ethnic costumes and clapping their hands.

In my humble opinion, the North Koreans just want our undivided attention. Kim Jong Il just doesn't like the fact that Iraq and Iran are getting all the attention these days. This Monster is growling that he's not getting enough. Well, I think we should give him our attention, just long enough to see to it that his barbaric regime is extirpated, and that Kim, himself, is relegated to the ash heap.