On my way back from a weekend in DC I caught a few minutes of Tony Snow's take on North Korea. I know that as the WH Press Secretary the man gets paid to lie, but good god... Thankfully, in the time between hearing the news report and arriving home, Kevin Drum had already set the record straight. A taste:
| But perhaps some facts are in order here. North Korea first began reprocessing plutonium during the administration of George Bush Sr. and may even have built one or two nuclear bombs during that period. Then, in 1994, they began preparations to remove plutonium fuel rods from their storage site, expel international weapons inspectors, and build more bombs. Clinton threatened the North Koreans with war if they went down this road, and then, after sending Jimmy Carter to Pyongyang for negotiations, signed a deal to keep North Korea's plutonium under international control in return for the delivery of two light water nuclear reactors, shipments of heavy fuel oil, and normalization of relations.
For the next six years that agreement held together and North Korea built no more bombs. North Korea even made some promising overtures about missile development late in Clinton's term, but there was no time to conclude the negotiations and the Bush administration showed no interest in following up on anything that it associated with the Clinton era. |
Be sure to click through for the rest. The truth, no matter what some might say, is that Clinton's policy was a success. It only failed because the Bush administration chose to allow it to fail. Why? You guessed it.
UPDATE: Want more? Josh Marshall has it. And while he's at it, he takes down Snow's ridiculous attempt to redefine pre-emption as well.
Snow would have us believe that Bush's doctrine of pre-emption was always meant to include both the use of force and diplomacy. Erm.. OK. I'll bite. But first, some history...
Back in June of 2002 Bush delivered a speech at West Point laying out a new foreign policy based on preemptive action. For the record, here's the key section:
| For much of the last century, America's defense relied on the Cold War doctrines of deterrence and containment. In some cases, those strategies still apply. But new threats also require new thinking. Deterrence -- the promise of massive retaliation against nations -- means nothing against shadowy terrorist networks with no nation or citizens to defend. Containment is not possible when unbalanced dictators with weapons of mass destruction can deliver those weapons on missiles or secretly provide them to terrorist allies.
We cannot defend America and our friends by hoping for the best. We cannot put our faith in the word of tyrants, who solemnly sign non-proliferation treaties, and then systemically break them. If we wait for threats to fully materialize, we will have waited too long. (Applause.) Homeland defense and missile defense are part of stronger security, and they're essential priorities for America. Yet the war on terror will not be won on the defensive. We must take the battle to the enemy, disrupt his plans, and confront the worst threats before they emerge. (Applause.) In the world we have entered, the only path to safety is the path of action. And this nation will act. (Applause.) Our security will require the best intelligence, to reveal threats hidden in caves and growing in laboratories. Our security will require modernizing domestic agencies such as the FBI, so they're prepared to act, and act quickly, against danger. Our security will require transforming the military you will lead -- a military that must be ready to strike at a moment's notice in any dark corner of the world. And our security will require all Americans to be forward-looking and resolute, to be ready for preemptive action when necessary to defend our liberty and to defend our lives. (Applause.) The work ahead is difficult. The choices we will face are complex. We must uncover terror cells in 60 or more countries, using every tool of finance, intelligence and law enforcement. Along with our friends and allies, we must oppose proliferation and confront regimes that sponsor terror, as each case requires. Some nations need military training to fight terror, and we'll provide it. Other nations oppose terror, but tolerate the hatred that leads to terror -- and that must change. (Applause.) We will send diplomats where they are needed, and we will send you, our soldiers, where you're needed. (Applause.) |
Sure, Bush included a reference to diplomacy there at the end. But please... We all know that's not what he was talking about here. Diplomacy, after all, has always been something done preemptively. In fact, the point of the section on the Cold War was to highlight that historical fact so that it could be rejected as a model for us today! So please Mr. Snow... I know your job is to lie on his behalf, but good lord - can't you do better than that?
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