North Korea admits to having Nukes.

Sorry didn't see it. My bad. But your right. It definitely causes some problems. Esp. with Iran saying they will not halt their program.

[burton2019]

No problem man, just wanted to get some opinions on this. Iran and N Korea are major concerns. Im afraid if we were to attack one then the other would interfere. Our army is stretched way too thin, if this were to happen it could bring a war on our own soil.

I added a reply that Iran's President has put out. Basically their standing still and daring us not to interfer. Or face a scorching war if we do. One that will could cause major conflict.
I was up early and out this morning. And on CNN it was reported we were looking at Iran's military capabilities?
Im not sure any more if it is just talk or not, or a threat to get talks going.
But the idea is alarming. And senior advisor are saying it will be years before Iraq is free of it's insurgents.
As you said were stretched thin as it is. Can we fight yet another war? With the war in Afghan still going and Iraq? Now Iran basically is telling us do not interfer. And North Korea is using their Nukes as what we did. To deter any one from invading or thinking of launching an attack.
Things are beginning to get tight and it seems tension are getting even tighter. Worst thing it's in a part of the world where radicals control most of what goes on.

[burton2019]

If a war broke out with either country, they would have to pull the troops out of Irag and Afgahnistan. These are no push over countries. I know we have the most lethal army in the world, but nukes are involved everything changes. Didnt N Korea pull out of talks? I also wonder what Chinas stance is on all this. They are a sleeping giant.

[burton2019]

The Bush administration, chafing under North Korea's retreat from multilateral talks on nuclear disarmament, sought Thursday to push Pyongyang back to the bargaining table and warned that it faces increasing international isolation.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had to confront the issue head-on as the North Koreans announced their renunciation of six-party talks as she was wrapping up her first international trip as the top U.S. diplomat. At a meeting of European Union leaders in Luxembourg, she said the world community had given North Korea "a way out" and said its leaders should take it.


President Bush's press secretary, Scott McClellan, talked similarly back in the United States, telling reporters traveling with Bush that the United States still wants six-party talks.


"We remain committed to a peaceful diplomatic resolution to the nuclear issue with regards to North Korea," McClellan told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to a presidential appearance in Fargo, N.D. "It's time to talk about how to move forward."


Both Rice and McClellan played down any significance of North Korea's dramatic public announcement Thursday that it has nuclear weapons. "We've heard this kind of rhetoric from North Korea before," McClellan said.


U.S. officials believe North Korea may have anywhere from four to two dozen nuclear devices, depending on the assumptions used about the bombs' designs.


The United States, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia have struggled to arrange a fourth round of talks aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programs. The last round was held last June.


House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said the Bush administration has failed to sufficiently pressure China to use its leverage with the North Koreans and said the administration also should consider direct, two-party talks with North Korea.


"This administration has not paid enough attention to the situation in North Korea," Pelosi said. "The North Koreans know that we are otherwise occupied in military actions in other parts of the world and they have taken the liberty to be brazen."


Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said he did not know whether North Korea had the weapons it claimed, but "one has to be concerned about it from a proliferation standpoint."


"One has to worry about weapons of that power in leadership of that nature," he added. "I don't think anyone would characterize the leadership in that country as being restrained."


A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, noted that the North Korean government had been laying the groundwork for the announcement for some time, with less public statements aimed at revealing a nuclear deterrent.


For example, the regime privately told Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly in 2002 that it had a secret uranium-enrichment program that violated its 1994 agreement.


North Korea's announcement Thursday came one week after anonymous Bush administration officials said there was strong evidence that North Korea sold processed uranium to Libya.

I remember the old saying. It's the quiet one's you better worry about. China you never hear much out of.
And as of now North Korea is out of all talks. They say it is just the U.S. wanting to control and dominate the world.
It is a bad situation when you think about it. Who is backing who?
Should we try to force Iran's hand. What does China and North Korea do? As you said. Kind of makes a person wonder. I know our military is strong, and has the ability, but troop level wise their stretched to the limits, without pulling troops from other areas.
But as you said. When nukes are involved, well that changes the whole picture.
During the cold war it was popular, it kept down the idea of an attack due to counter attacks.
But in places where kill first and ask later. Makes the threat level really high. And you never know with such countries. The way their thinking is, would they hesitate to use them?
No matter how limited. Still with a nuke the damage is done for years to come, even if not a powerful nuke.
And massive enough. Well i think most can figure that out.
I don't like the idea of going back to the past. But man it sure seems like we are repeating history.

[burton2019]

I think alot of people rellay doont understand this threat. Like you said who other than the UK and South Korea back us? France hates us, everyone else does too. Another thing, here is Russia not saying a word and being quiet just like China. The Allies against a possible Iran, N Korea, and maybe China....would very scary. Our military could not handle that. The reason Im bringing China into the picture is because we are Taiwans ally, and we have told them that if China were to attack them then we would defend Taiwan. China believes Taiwan should be aprt of a "whole" China. The world is getting scarier and scarier by the minute.

[gcdevil22]

we wont go into North Korea...North Korea has big brother China on their side and Bushy doesn't wanna disturb that

so let's see...iraq says "no we don't have any weapons"...we invade them....north korea says "we have weapons"...we sit by and watch....surprised anyone??

[1inStripes]

I really think within the next year or so, you will see Israel disable Irans Nuke program like they did Iraq back in the late 70s, early 80s.

I would like to think that turning Isreal lose on Iran would be the right thing. However, with U.S. involvement in Iraq.
IMO don't think letting Isreal being involved would help matters.
Have to remember the religions involved, and how these countries love the term "Holy War."
If anything a U.S. backed strike from Isreal, against Iran would set the whole middle east on fire right now.
This is basically heading to a big stand off. And one is just working to start a program.
North Korea admits they have them. And evidently are vowing they are not gonna be bullied.
China would be our biggest assest. Their status there would or could influence a lot of what North Korea or several nations in that area do.


The Bush administration said Friday that it wasn't interested in one-on-one talks with North Korea about its nuclear programs outside the six-party negotiations involving the communist nation's neighbors.
It's not an issue between North Korea and the United States. It's a regional issue," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. "And it's an issue that impacts all of its neighbors."
North Korea has plenty of opportunity to talk to the United States within six-party talks, McClellan said.
In an interview with a South Korean newspaper Friday, North Korea's U.N. envoy demanded bilateral talks with the United States.
"We will return to the six-nation talks when we see a reason to do so and the conditions are ripe," Han Sung Ryol told Seoul's Hankyoreh newspaper in an interview published Friday. "If the United States moves to have direct dialogue with us, we can take that as a signal that the United States is changing its hostile policy toward us."
U.S. officials believe North Korea, which is seeking bilateral talks with the United States, may have from four to two dozen nuclear devices, depending on the assumptions used about the bombs' designs.
The United States, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia have struggled to arrange a fourth round of talks aimed at persuading Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons programs. The last round was held in June. A South Korean delegation is due in Washington on Monday for previously scheduled strategic talks and a Japanese group will arrive for consultations here later in the week.
McClellan noted that North Korea violated the 1994 Agreed Framework, a bilateral pact negotiated with the United States that froze Pyongyang's nuclear facilities in return for energy aid. That deal collapsed in late 2002 when U.S. officials accused the North of violating the accord by pursuing a secret nuclear program. The North denied the charge, withdrew from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and restarted its frozen nuclear facilities.
"North Korea violated that Agreed Framework and continued to pursue nuclear weapons," McClellan said. "We believe the six-party talks are the way to resolve this in a peaceful and diplomatic way."
"I think all countries in the region are saying to North Korea, that they need to come back to the talks so that we can talk about the proposal that we put on the table at the last round of talks," the spokesman said. "That proposal addresses the concerns of all parties and it provides the way forward for resolving this matter."
Consultations are already under way with China, a senior U.S. official said.
The United States will keep pushing for six-party talks and is urging its negotiating partners not to get rattled, said this official, speaking on condition of anonymity.