Condy Rice swats a White House North Korean gnat

Jay Lefkowitz mini mouse Bush's hit man on human rights in North Korea buzzed an ill tempered tune in Condy Rice's ear. You're policy of negotiations with Pyongyong on dismantling North Korea's nuclear programme has failed. Hold Kim Jong il's feet to the fire on his regime's horrific record on human rights to get results. Rice told him to bugger off. Lefkowitz is but the front man for the right wing best exemplified by the late, but unlamented man at the UN John Bolton who wanted as Lefkowitz does, an in your face approach to North Korea. It didn't work then...if anything it pushed Kim & co. to go on and build a nuclear bomb.
North Korea is late in turning over a full laundry list of its nuclear plans and projects as it said it would by 31 December 2007, but Rice and Chris Hill her chief negotiator with Pyongyang says that in the spirit of the agreement North Korea has complied with its promises. Still, Pyongyang is dragging its feet on meeting its full obligations. No one really asks why. The standard, ordinary, ho hum explanation is that North Korea is like that...No one tries looking at it from Pyongyang's eyes: direct negotiations which Washington denies it has with Pyongyang has brought much success, and as a result North Korea has shut down its nuclear enriching plant[s], but as a collilary to that, the US assumed other obligations which it has not lived up to. Add to that, the election of a hard liner new president in South Korea: Lee Hyung bek who is scrapping the Sunshine policy which has lessened tensions on a divided Korean peninsula, opened wider doors of trade, and other joint projections. So, confronted with a new right thrust against it, North Korea is stalling...yet all hope is not lost. Remember the New York Philharmonic is coming to play in Pyongyang in 3 weeks, so a breakthrough is possible. Otherwise Kim & co. will play for time which raises other questions since they may be hoping a new president in the White House in 2008 might usher in a new spring of understanding. Maybe yes; maybe no. By then the American economy may very well be in a more hopeless state than it is today. Nonetheless the US has had 15 years of negotiating with Pyongyang; it surely learnt something about the ins and outs of its style. If it has not...well so much the sadder. Rice & Hill are exhibiting patience and calm which is saying something. Lefkowitz although rebuked isn't chastened, and so the shadow play that the right in the White House will play itself out behind the scenes.