China just announced their refusal to back a US plan to cut off North Korea's oil supply, in order to force the nation back into 6 party talks on the issue of its nuclear weapons program.
China isn't an ally when it comes to the problem of North Korea (or an ally at all really), but more on that in a bit...
The democrats always attack Bush and claim HE has failed with North Korea...that HE is wrong for refusing to talk with the nation one-on-one outside of the 6 party talks the president is pushing.
It's all great stuff, but it's all complete nonsense.
1. Clinton's failure to address this issue is what started it to begin with. He sent failed President Jimmy Carter over to broke a blackmail deal that had US taxpayers paying billions to the rogue regime for a promise they started to break as soon as Carter left! They started working on their nuke programs right away, and they haven't stopped since.
2. Talks with China will do absolutely nothing. You can claim that Chinese leaders aren't insane and don't want to thumb their nose at the US or whatever, but that's a silly thought as well. The chinese oppress billions of their own people, they execute people for what are, on half the planet, basic freedoms. A few years back, Chinese generals promised China would nuke the US, the only question was- when would they choose to do it? Does anyone really think we're dealing with a rational regime here? Not by a long shot.
3. China is the only reason North Korea is still in existence. The great leader and the dear leader would have been screwed big time without China propping that government up for the past 50+ years. China is the only nation that has ties with this reclusive, repressive regime...they're the only ones that build up N. Korea's military...they have provided them with the missile technology to use with their nukes (technology that N Korea sold to Pakistan, Iran, and other brutal despotic nations.) China isn't ultimately going to act on North Korea, when the Chinese are really no better than Kim Jong Il and his murdering thug cronies. China proved as much recently, when they refused the US idea to cut off oil supplies to North Korea, in an attempt to demand that nation return to talks on their nukes program. Tho, I said before here, talks will do nothing in the long run...Il is too insane to give up on his nuclear weapons program. This guy is more unhinged than Teddy Kennedy at a yacht party after realizing all the booze was left on the dock! (my apologizes to Teddy, you're up there on the whacko scale, but this guy has got you beat, no doubt) In the end, blackmail bribes to NK is the only solution diplomatically, and it'll HAVE to turn into an overthrow of the NK government or an assault on the nation militarily. The South Koreans and the US servicemen in SK probably wouldn't appreciate the chemical weapons raining down on their head, but there just aren't many options with this problem.
4. Many people try to seperate the threat of North Korea and the war on terrorism, as if they're really two different things. They're nowhere near being different problems for us and other peace loving nations. North Korea supports terrorism, even trains terrorists in their vast training compounds. The NK government has an entire nation of people brainwashed into practically worshipping their "dear leader." You don't think their use and training of terrorists, and they're brainwashing techniques couldn't be used against us in a terrorist fashion? Think again! NK is notorious for sending out terrorists to do the government's dirty work...even going as far as to train ethnic Japanese to go to Japan and be able to fit in without being noticed...as sleeper cells ready to attack when the time is ready. The NK government could easily train an entire army of brainwashed sleeper cells, ready to attack INSIDE the United States or any other nation they chose. All common knowledge, but I think it's best to combine the two threats as one.
The real problem isn't Pyongyang perfecting its missile technology in order to reach the US mainland...it's the threat that they will hand their nukes off to terrorist cells, either from inside NK or to outer cells in far away lands such as Iran. Send these terrorists off on NK backed missions (likely into South Korea to "unify" the north and the south once and for all) or just sell the nukes to terrorists with their own plans (attacks inside the US, which might kill tens or hundreds of thousands of people.)
Those who attack Bush for neglecting the issue need to understand that A. it's complicated, B. the problem is really one of Clinton's making, and C. Even WITH China, there's not much that can be done on in any diplomatic way.
China, in the long run, won't do a thing to settle the issue for good. Brutal thugs don't usually care if brutal thugs act...well, thugishly. They might play along for some time and call their actions a success, as to look like they're showing good will to the west, but who is really that dillusional to think that a madman like Kim Jong Il will suddenly give in to outside, or even interal, pressure, and play by the rules of the international community? There's just no way this is going to happen. He's no real reason to give up his nuclear dreams, and diplomacy and blackmail bribes won't ever end the problem totally. We'll just keep playing this game of the dog chasing its tail (sure, we agree with this plan to end nuclear weapons- wait, we lied!) until powers inside NK see fit to put an end to the long lasting rule of the Kims once and for all. How you end such a widespread personality cult that has the people gripped in fear (tho, I doubt most of them even know it), I've no idea, but that's really what has to be done. Until that happens, this tiny rogue state will continue to be a thorn in Washington's side and a threat to nations across the globe.