The text of the Joint Declaration is here. One of the South Korean outlets had a nice summary, but they’ve dropped it in favor of the full text. There is a lot here, and every word requires interpretation.
But you can guess who isn’t worried about the details.
That was threaded to a tweet about lyin’ James Comey leaking CLASSIFIED. Now that we have the audio, as in Anne’s post, we can hear Trump’s tweets in his anguished shout.
The dangerous thing here, of course, is that Trump thinks it’s his bluster that made this happen. That means he will be eager to reimpose the sanctions on Iran and start threatening them with nuclear war. Buckle up.
Baud
I don’t think it’ll work. NK has nukes. Iran doesn’t. The rest of the world knows the difference. He might end the Iran deal, but the only people it’ll hurt is us.
OzarkHillbilly
In a way he might be right:
“We gotta get the DC idiot out of here.”
Cheryl Rofer
@Baud: Yes. Angela Merkel visits Trump today. Both Merkel and Emmanuel Macron are trying to turn Trump around to acceptance of the Iran deal. Macron may have made some progress. Trump hates women who act like they have power and agency, so today should go very badly and undo whatever Macron may have accomplished. Trump wouldn’t even shake Merkel’s hand the last visit. Girl cooties.
aimai
What does “work” mean for Trump, though, Baud? @Baud: ? There’s a lot of destruction that can happen while things are working fine for mr. potato head.
Cheryl Rofer
In a sense, we’ve been here before.
Baud
@aimai: For Trump, it means a “better” deal. He won’t get it IMHO.
Cheryl Rofer
Trump thinks it’s all over, but in reality it’s just beginning. The best outcome we can hope for is that something distracts him from North Korea.
MattF
I think the adults in the room have decided that Trump has nothing to offer. Ignorant, lying, vindictive, and empty-handed.
ETA: And, yeah, Kim Jong Un has a genuinely awful haircut.
Baud
@MattF: A good number of children in the room have reached the same conclusion.
JPL
Trump needs to stay home, because his visits abroad don’t improve our image. If he doesn’t get credit, he’ll destroy any steps taken towards peace.
JPL
@Cheryl Rofer: Powell has a trip planned to further discussions shortly after the election of Bush. Rumor at the time was Bolton put an end to that.
rikyrah
@Cheryl Rofer:
I am in the camp that believed Macron is trying to avoid war with Iran.
Frankensteinbeck
You’re still giving Trump too much credit, Cheryl. He doesn’t have the level of self-control or strategy to significantly change his diplomatic strategy, even for the worse. He already says whatever crazy assholery he thinks while he sulks over his two scoops of ice cream. If the news was universally praising him for specifically causing this with his bluster, maybe he would kick it up hoping for more. Nobody really listens to his bluster because he never acts on it anyway. The only thing he’s really done is the trade war. He does love to pull out of treaties, but that will be decided by personal cowardice and flattery, not what he yells in public.
rikyrah
@MattF:
I think Dolt45 terrifies the North and the South. They both have come to the conclusion that Dolt45 would think nothing of the hundreds of thousands, if not millions that could be killed in Seoul, which I don’t think that the South Koreans have ever faced with an American President.
Brachiator
There are Koreans who think that Trump’s “toughness” has made a difference, according to recent BBC news reports.
Oddly enough, even though some reports have noted that North Korea has played this game before, falsely offering a that in relations, relatively few stories have focused on how the leader of South Korea and his team have put together this attempt to resolve problems between the two countries.
Despite Macron’s efforts, I would be very surprised to see Trump announce that he was sticking to the Iran deal when the May 12 decision date comes up. However, the Iranian government has made it clear that it is the current deal or nothing. And Iranian officials angrily rejected Macron’s suggestion that there should be a new deal expanding on, but preserving the current agreement. Bolton, his new team and other Trump administration staffers should know that Iran is not passively sitting and waiting to see what Trump does.
Trump thinks that he can pull the current deal and also threaten Iran, warning dire consequences if they ramp up their nuclear program. But this kind of saber rattling actually gives Trump less room to negotiate, especially if his buddy Putin strongly backs Iran.
It will be very difficult for Trump to pull a variation of his “oh yes, Mexico will pay for the wall” bullshit in his dealings with Iran, but that kind of thing is his only go-to move.
Frankensteinbeck
@rikyrah:
I definitely think both sides have realized that short of an actual war being started by North Korea, Trump’s government will do nothing at all.
debbie
@Cheryl Rofer:
Macron must be desperate if he’s willing not to respond to that bullshit dandruff-picking. I would have punched Trump.
Frankensteinbeck
@debbie:
I’m pretty sure Macron thinks he got the last laugh.
low-tech cyclist
@Cheryl Rofer:
As long as he thinks it’s a done deal which he made happen, and what’s left is just lesser beings working out the details, there’s a good chance he’ll cease thinking about it.
Other than taking numerous opportunities to publicly pat himself on the back over his great diplomatic breakthrough, of course.
Betty Cracker
Since I despise Trump to the depths of my soul, maybe my bias is preventing me from seeing his role in any progress that has been made. But wasn’t the collapse of the mountain the North Koreans use for nuclear testing what prompted Kim’s talk of halting nuclear testing — rather than Trump’s idiotic bluster? And didn’t North and South Korean rapprochement during the Olympics lay the groundwork for better relations rather than Pence’s steely gaze across the DMZ? I’m irritated by news accounts that describe the meeting between Kim and Moon as important legwork prior to Kim’s meeting with Trump. Really? Aren’t North and South Korea the principals here?
Another Scott
A good declaration with lots of nice words. But other than agreeing to joint appearances at sporting events and similar things, there is (as everyone should have expected) nothing concrete. They’re basically just saying that they’re agreeing to hold more talks.
Good, but by no means does this indicate that it’s smooth sailing going forward. There are words like “hostile acts” that mean different things to Kim and to Moon. Cyberspace? Trade sanctions? Cooperation with the US or Iran?
Since it’s Infrastructure Week, and Trump is working on his Wall, and on improving NAFTA, and on peace in the Middle East, and on replacing Obamacare with something better, we can assume that he doesn’t have too much time to spend on this document. ;-) And that’s probably the best thing. We need to stay out of the way for a while, and see what the ROK, and Japan, and others in the region can come up with.
I agree with Baud that only so much of this dynamic is transferable to Iran and the JCPOA. But the chaos Trump is causing is – in general – not a good thing.
Cheers,
Scott.
Soprano2
It makes me sick that Trump is taking credit for this. He did little or nothing to make it happen – most of the credit goes to the leader of South Korea IMHO.
low-tech cyclist
@Cheryl Rofer:
That’s pretty clear from the translated text. A LOT of things need to be worked out to turn the goals of this agreement into a reality.
But it sure looks like a Big Fucking Deal that they’ve agreed to this much. And like you say, the less attention Trump pays to it, the better.
Nikolita
@Soprano2: apparently the South Korean leader is the one giving Trump credit. Or so I was told by a friend’s FB friend.
Baud
@Nikolita: Unfortunately, the rest of the world understands that the way to influence Trump is to praise him. It’s just something we have to learn to deal with.
Kay
I was listening to a clip of one of Comey’s umpteen interviews yesterday. I think he did a bad job with Clinton invest- he could be a good person and still do a bad job- but I have to hand it to him as far as willingness to answer questions. There’s no defensiveness at all. He will answer the same question 50 times without a trace of impatience of defensiveness.
I appreciate that. He’s one of the few people who have told us anything about what happened in 2016. Now, some people can’t talk- Mueller can’t talk. I appreciate that Comey is respectful enough of Clinton voters (and there were a lot of us) to take our questions seriously and respond to them respectfully. No one else is doing this and it’s all I wanted. It makes his claim that his concern was transparency and public faith in institutions more credible. This is how someone would behave if they were concerned about transparency and trust- they would put themselves out there for thousands of questions and answer them without snark or nastiness or exaggerated “sophistication” and sarcasm. Compare to Team Trump, who insult and demean anyone who asks anything.
Cheryl Rofer
@debbie: One president cannot punch another in diplomatic proceedings. It just ain’t gonna happen.
My take was that Trump came off looking weaker in that interaction. I had visions of the fights to the death at Lake Nemi. The young guy always wins.
OzarkHillbilly
@Betty Cracker: Yes.
Brachiator
@Frankensteinbeck:
Macron, representing France and Europe, listened to Trump and tried to specifically address Trump on Iran, trade, climate, and tariffs when addressing Congress.
That’s just it. Trump is actually on the spot to get something done when he meets the North Korean leader. Maybe this is why he has made some noise about walking away from a meeting if he doesn’t like what he sees from this North and South Korea confab.
Macron tried flattery. And part of Trump’s personal cowardice is his fear of looking weak. So, what do you think that Trump will do about Iran? Hold to the deal or reject it?
zhena gogolia
@Kay:
I agree.
OzarkHillbilly
@Cheryl Rofer: I think I just fell in love with Jane Goodall.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
If it is true Bolton will sabotage it. neocon he is.
Cheryl Rofer
There are a lot of things going on here.
1. I would say that the biggest factor is that Kim Jong Un now feels his nuclear arsenal is sufficient for his purposes. Whether his test site is broken or not, completion of his arsenal is why he can say no more tests. And that statement is not for all eternity.
2. Second biggest is that Moon Jae-in wants peace with the North, and possibly unification.
3. Notice that “denuclearization” is not a part of either 1 or 2. In fact, 1 implies that there will be no denuclearization any time soon.
4. I think that both Korean leaders are worried that the US is likely to start a war. That provided some urgency to the talks.
5. The United States will have to be a party to any peace deal. There’s some complexity to that, with United Nations resolutions also involved. This is something for the lawyers to sort out, but I doubt the US can be left out.
sherparick1
@rikyrah: I think this fear is what is driving the Koreas to make a deal, and for that matter for Japan to accept it as so much better than the alternative of war that is likely with Trump. The finesse issue will be how the North will keep its “nukes” but allow Trump to claim “victory” and practical “denuclearization.” I do think the situation, especially within the Republican Party, has changed over the last 17 years when Bush 43’s administration came in and immediately blew up the agreement that the Clinton Administration had with North Korea. This was part of an overall militancy toward China and North Korea, personified in Bolton, and which dominated the first 8 months of Bush 43’s foreign policy before 9/11 sent then charging into the Middle East. The Cold War Hawk mentality (and Republican Defense Industry profit seeking) was then still a major political force in the Republican Party and would work with the Neo-cons. But the endless war on terror and the Middle East are enough for that industry; further, the Evangelicals who are obsessed with pursuing Armageddon in Middle East for Israel are indifferent to Korea and Japan (Japan particularly being pagan). If Trump declares victory, the end of the Korean War, and withdraws American forces from Korea and Japan, most Republicans will cheer the roof off the house outside of Lyndsey Graham and John McCain and most Democrats will be indifferent and just happy there will be no war.
Iran is different. One, Iran, unlike North Korea does not have a nuclear deterrent which would give Israel and Saudi Arabia pause about encouraging Trump to launch a war against Iran, so unlike the local powers around Korea, they local powers and U.S. clients are pro, not anti-war. Also, two militant factions that are heart of Trump’s base, the Evangelicals and the super Nationalists/Neocons are also pro-war, and minimize its costs and negative side effects (millions of dead Iranians and Arabs being “features” not “bugs” for these people.)
Brachiator
@Betty Cracker:
Very possibly, although I have heard some suppsedly knowledgeable people argue that Kim doesn’t need to do much testing anymore.
Exactly. The lazy narrative is that it’s all about Trump and Kim.
debbie
@Frankensteinbeck:
I want visual proof that Trump realizes, even secretly, what an asshole he is. I want him publicly deflated.
Cheryl Rofer
Gin & Tonic
@Betty Cracker:
Just like the US and Russia talking about the fate of Crimea or the Donbas. Ukraine is a sovereign nation with its own interests and its own leadership. While it appreciates assistance from the US, it does not appreciate someone else negotiating as if on its behalf.
debbie
@Cheryl Rofer:
Okay, maybe not a punch, but at least swiping Trump’s hand aside. Boundaries are for everyone.
Brachiator
@Cheryl Rofer:
I agree with all your other points, but this one stands out. The simplistic view is that North Korea is responding to Trump’s display of toughness. But it is more likely that North Korea and South Korea are reacting to Trump’s instability, and want to minimize the possibility that he might stupidly start a war.
Mr. Prosser
@low-tech cyclist: How soon will Il Douche begin angling for a Nobel a la President Obama’s?
Kay
@zhena gogolia:
It’s all 90% of people wanted, I bet. The recognition that they are deserving of an explanation of these mysterious and behind the scenes actions that occurred and so profoundly affected an election.
I don’t know if it’s true but I read once that people in non-functioning or corrupt governments are much more likely to glom onto conspiracy theories because 1. they have been lied to so often, and 2. literally anything could be true, once the whole frame of objective truth disappears. Comey is talking about judgment calls- subjective decisions he made about “trust” and “what is right” (and I don’t even think he should have approached it that way- it’s way too fuzzy and that’s where went off the rails) but at least he explains his decisions.
Another Scott
@Brachiator: All that we’ve seen from Trump so far is lots of sound and fury and attempts to convince everyone else that he’s some Superman who can fix everything (“and I alone can fix it”), but who whines and stomps his feet when others don’t go along. “Congress needs to fix DACA!” “The Europeans need to fix the JCPOA!” “Mexico needs to fix NAFTA!” It’s everyone else’s responsibility to give him what he wants.
The JCPOA is complicated. It’s multi-national. While the USA has lots of levers under its control (e.g. via the banking system), it’s not at all clear to me that we can actually blow it up on our own if everyone else wants to keep it going. Donnie is under lots of constraints about it and it’s quite possible that Macron is wrong about what will happen. If it were an easy agreement to blow up, Donnie would have done so months ago. Throwing a fit about it every 90 days is a way to keep everyone on edge about it, and trying to convince them that he needs to be placated, while not actually killing it.
The biggest protection for the JCPOA, it seems to me – and as others pointed out first, is that blowing it up makes any agreement with the DPRK orders of magnitude harder. Ultimately, it’s political agreements that end conflicts (and wars). If the USA cannot keep it’s side of international agreements, then we all lose no matter how bad one thinks a particular agreement is.
We’ll see. The next deadline is May 12, but then it rolls around again 90 days after that, then 90 days after that…
193 days to go. Eyes on the prize…
Cheers,
Scott.
TS (the original)
@rikyrah:
I agree. There are few countries that feel safe with trump texting his thoughts to all and any.
Cheryl Rofer
@Brachiator: yes
Betty Cracker
@Kay: True. Comey’s inserting himself into the election was unforgivable, IMO — it had such catastrophic consequences and was so unnecessary. As you’ve said, if he had just followed the rules, it wouldn’t have happened. But at least Comey explains his decision-making process, as flawed as it was. In a couple of the interviews, he hints that his wife blames him for throwing the election to Trump and mentions that his wife and daughters attended the Women’s March.
Comey certainly seems convinced that he chose the best of two bad options. Maybe he has to tell himself that to live with the awful chain of events he set in motion. But the idea that he lives with people who push back against his self-justifying narrative pleases me. I hope his wife writes her own damn book someday. I might actually read that one!
TS (the original)
@Mr. Prosser: January 2017
Cheryl Rofer
@Betty Cracker: I would like to see more of the pushback include an insistence on understanding the dynamics of the New York FBI office and who was leaking there, who were the Clinton-haters. Comey has said that he won’t talk about this, but it seems to have been a big part of his motivation.
Frankensteinbeck
I have the opposite view of most people on one crucial point here. All of Trump’s bluster has come to absolutely nothing. His declarations of what steps he was taking to counter North Korea’s sale rattling all turned out to be lies. He went ‘grr’ in public and then did jack squat nothing. Both Korean governments have to be vividly aware of this, central to all their decision making. I don’t think they see Trump as a warlike threat. I think they see him as an impotent non-actor, which certainly changes the calculus.
@Cheryl Rofer:
I’m all for peace. I don’t see any point to the war anymore, because there’s no sign North Korea wants to start it up again. I bet both sides also want unification. I can’t imagine any governmental system they’d agree to, though.
That’s going to be weird, and they’ll probably have to wait out Trump. Unless the career diplomats on the ground can convince both sides and China they can do all the practical parts without Trump because the leadership at State is too stupid to control what really goes on in practice. I’m not sure things are that detached on major issues.
Betty Cracker
@Cheryl Rofer: Agreed. It’s possible he really can’t talk about that because of Mueller’s investigation, but it’s hard to imagine the facts will be flattering to Comey if/when they finally do come out. Sounds like he lost control of one of his field offices and was forced to counter agents he couldn’t rein in. Not a good look for a guy on a “leadership” book tour.
Patricia Kayden
@Mr. Prosser: Now. I’m sure Trump and his supporters are already demanding that the Nobel Peace prize be handed to Trump in a ceremony held at the Southern White House (aka Mar-A-Lago). If not for his stable genius, Koreans wouldn’t be free!!
Cheryl Rofer
Here’s the downside to a Korean fear of US war as a motivator. It also works for Frankensteinbeck’s theory.
Frankensteinbeck
@Cheryl Rofer:
It does work out similarly in a lot of ways, doesn’t it? Impotent or unpredictably warlike, Trump does not care even slightly about protecting South Korea from death and destruction.
Chris
@Baud:
He won’t get it. The Iran deal is the best deal available. The whole reason Obama worked so hard for it was that America was finally at a point where it had gotten all the major powers to agree to sanctions on Iran, but that coalition wasn’t going to last forever. Sooner or later, it was going to come apart and then we’d be right back where we started, unless he used the window of opportunity to get a real deal.
If Trump tries to push for more, the rest of the major powers won’t go along with it, and the whole thing will fall apart.
henrythefifth
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
Chris
@Soprano2:
Makes me even sicker to think that most Americans will go along with it. If this pans out, it’s going to become the new “Reagan won the Cold War!”
MomSense
Speaking of lengthy wars, here is a bleg for a gofundme campaign for women in Tajikistan and Afghanistan who are hand spinning and dyeing some of the most gorgeous cashmere and cashgora yarn in he world. Many of these women have never had an income before. Their small collective can now spend money in educating their children and gaining some independence. The woman in Portland who imports this yarn is one of the sweetest, kindest people (and Mom to a cat and dog) you could ever meet.
There are a bunch of rewards being offered by knitters and designers for people who donate. Check it out even if you just watch the inspiring video and consider donating and sharing with friends.
Empowering women in Tajikistan
Peale
@Frankensteinbeck: No he does not. He has a lot of contempt for Koreans in general as a country full of people who “ripped us off”. Its rather clear in everything he does. When he was a kid, South Korea was poor and full of orphans and god dang it if they didn’t stop being poor. They must have ripped us off somehow and Koreans being poor is the natural order of things. If it weren’t for Mexico, the demeaning way he treats South Korea would be noticed more.
rikyrah
@Kay:
Because, how dare you ask them anything…don’t you know that they are the bestest in the world?
Did you see that bullshyt with Pruitt yesterday?
That muthaphucka better wind up in an orange jumpsuit.
rikyrah
@Frankensteinbeck:
That’s how I see it – the South Koreans are faced with a President of the United States that they know, instinctively, wouldn’t give a shyt if a hail of bombs landed on Seoul and it’s multi-million person populace. They’ve never been in that position before.
rikyrah
Rep. Eric Swalwell@RepSwalwell
Confirmed: @DonaldJTrumpJr met with a Russian spy at Trump Tower.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@debbie:
How would punching get the job done? Bolton gets his way for another awesome Middle East Adventure not only will thousands of Iranians die but the Germany and France will face an economic crises when the oil prices spike. Macron has to think of a bit more than himself.
As for a dominance gesture, grooming is something women do to men. How is that possibly a dominance gesture from Trump? In those pictures even Trump’s body language was submissive, remember Macron deliberately hurts Trump in those handshakes.
But her emails!!!
@rikyrah:
It’s not just the South. The North depended on those millions of people being a viable hostage. With that in doubt, they began looking for a new path forward..
It would almost be brilliant, if I believed that this was a political version of “You shoot him, I shoot you, I leave both your bodies here and go out for a late night snack.”
Cheryl Rofer
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: There was a closeup of the Macron-Trump handshake when they were sitting down. You can’t put as much power on it from that posture, but there were white knuckles all around.
The Other Chuck
@OzarkHillbilly: Plenty of reasons to love Jane Goodall, but it’s pretty unlikely she actually said it. For one, she worked with chimpanzees, not gorillas.
Brachiator
@Another Scott:
Trump has pulled out of climate change agreements and imposed tariffs. Both of these actions have appalled other world leaders.
Neither Merkel nor Macron or any other European leader agrees with you, but what do they know? And as I noted earlier, Macron’s attempt to soften Trump’s stance on the Iran agreement has already angered the Iranian government, which also has dismissed Macron as an honest broker.
If he were capable or serious, Trump would bring his A game to these discussions with North Korea and his potential actions with respect to Iran. But here, even empty bluster has consequences.
Trump doesn’t care. He thinks his presidency is Year One. In addition, he has his racist obsession with obliterating everything that Obama accomplished.
Trump doesn’t care whether his decisions hurt this country. We’ve already seen that he will deny that anything was his fault.
Brachiator
@Mr. Prosser:
Conservatives are already signaling that they will push for the Nobel Peace Prize to be awarded to Trump if there is any deal with North Korea.
And I bet that Trump himself will send out a Twitter storm about how he is owed a thank you, and that his Nobel would be the best ever.
Another Scott
@Brachiator: On the tariffs: Wikipedia:
It’s all a bunch of blustering and “negotiating”. You don’t think that he’ll extend the deadline and possibly put other countries on the suspension list?
On the Paris Agreement – Wikipedia:
It’s all bluster and “negotiation”.
I agree that Trump doesn’t care, and he’s trying to break things because he thinks it will give him more power (and more money via his grifting). But he hasn’t actually broken very much yet in international agreements with all of his screaming and bluster and we need to keep that in mind. (Of course, he has done tremendous damage in the USA – Puerto Rico, natural disasters in California, Texas, etc., etc.)
193 days to go – eyes on the prize…
Cheers,
Scott.
Spinoza Is My Co-Pilot
It isn’t only Trump who “thinks it’s his bluster that made this happen” (whatever “this” actually is). Check the mainstream media, they are happily working the narrative “Trump stopped North Korea!” into conventional wisdom.
Frankensteinbeck
@Spinoza Is My Co-Pilot:
I know MSNBC is completely tepid about whether Trump is involved, and their main angle is ‘At a time Trump wishes he was bragging about Korea, OMG DID YOU SEE HIM MELT DOWN ON FOX AND FRIENDS LMAO.’
TenguPhule
@JPL:
Trump staying home does more damage.
Trump needs to spend time in Russia.
Like the rest of his life.
debbie
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
I read that gesture as Trump (at least thinking he was) taking Macron down a notch. There was nothing submissive in that “grooming” gesture.
debbie
@JPL:
Weigh that against his looking stupider and stupider on each successive trip, and I say, “Book them! Book hundreds of them!”
J R in WV
While it is true that as far as we know, Iran is quite a ways from having an effective nuclear arsenal – unlike North Korea which has demonstrated at least some capability in the special weapons field, I doubt they are decades away from assembling nuclear devices.
We did hold their feet to the fire as far as inspections of existing known sites goes. They did fill one important reactor with concrete. But their knowledge base, their ability to design the tools to build the tools to construct a nuclear arsenal, that still exists. With regional allies, willing and able to provide small assistance, like Pakistan, one of the two existing South Asian nuclear powers, Iran could become a nuclear state quite rapidly.
We’ve seen their development of missile technology demonstrated repeatedly. While their fine control of their missiles is somewhat lacking, that is much less important with strategic nuclear weapons. Fleets and Aircraft Carrier Groups, large bases in the Middle East, allied cities, all can fall to a single nuclear armed shot. Hell, an Aircraft Carrier strike force can be done-in with a barrage of cruise missiles, or a very large fleet of high-speed heavily armed small craft like torpedo boats.
Didn’t a war game force directed by a retired Marine General overcome (as in destroy) all our Middle Eastern forces with unconventional (yet non-nuclear) tactics recently? Didn’t the Joint Chiefs replay those war games with new rules against such unconventional tactics? Can they do that with Iran (HaHa!)? Or will Iran use whatever tactics they believe will work best?
The balance of power in the M-E could change in a single night.
TenguPhule
@Betty Cracker:
Yes, I linked to a story in the Guardian a few days ago where China’s techs believe the nuclear testing site is out of business due to damage from the last series of tests.
So Kim gives up nothing of importance and can pull the rug out from Trump at any time.
TenguPhule
@J R in WV: Iran doesn’t even need nuclear weapons to cause devastation.
All they have to do is lock down the Persian gulf against all boat traffic.
One third of the world’s energy supply grinds to a halt.
J R in WV
@TenguPhule:
Of course! Speedboats with warheads, inexpensive cruise missiles with range sufficient to close the Gulf or reach Carrier Strike Groups!
As you say, world catastrophe is only a week away at any given time.
TenguPhule
@J R in WV: Easier then that. Sea mines in the shipping lanes.
Cheap, right bastards to detect and disarm and worst of all you can never be sure you’ve gotten them all once the first one is detected. No insured oil tanker would risk taking to sea under those circumstances.
MuckJagger
What bugs me isn’t that the President thinks he reunited North and South Korea, it’s that his meathead followers think the same thing. I was reading a similar story on the Boston Globe’s website, and there were any number of commenters who think Trump should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for this.
Sheesh.