Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love. ~ Talleyrand

Captain’s Quarters (Ed Morrissey) No Agreement On North Korea

The US accused the Kim regime of failing to take the talks seriously, which in this case is akin to noting the sunrise in the East. Kim Jong-Il wants his nukes, and diplomatic niceties will not shake him from his pursuit of WMDs. Only China can put enough pressure on him to achieve that result, and China still has not found the will or the desire to do so in sufficient measure. As Christopher Hill pointed out, each day the DPRK came up with a different excuse — the banking sanctions that shut down their profitable counterfeiting ring, some perceived diplomatic slight, or another impossible demand. It all adds up to continued intransigence by Pyongyang

Coffee is a beverage that puts one to sleep when not drank. ~ Alphonse Allais

Right Wing News (John Hawkins) The 40 Most Obnoxious Quotes Of 2006 — Go read them. While you’re at it be sure to check out (and bookmark/blogroll) the reopened Conservative Grapevine.

Captain’s Quarters (Ed Morrissey) You First — “Kim Jong-Il has rejoined the six-party talks aimed at ending his nuclear-weapons program and opening North Korea for foreign aid and trade. The other parties have promised an end to sanctions and economic assistance if Pyongyang ends its development of nukes, but the Kim regime has challenged them to act first:”

Blue Star Chronicles (Beth) John Kerry Meets Soldiers in Iraq — “But he got his photo op – with some privates who must have drawn the short straws.” [Heh. That was my first thought, too. Jim]

Don Surber Newsweek reporter: ‘Iraqis are more optimistic about the future than most Americans are’ — “Imagine that. The Iraqis are more optimistic about the future than most Americans are.

But what do these Iraqis know? They are not smart like John Kerry or Ted Kennedy or Michael Moore, are they?”

Good communication is just as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after. ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Captain’s Quarters (Ed Morrissey) US Keeping Pressure On China — “The US, fresh from its Security Council victory, has now begun to ensure it maintains its success in isolating North Korea. John Bolton told the UN that China had a “heavy responsibility” to police their joint border and inspect all shipments crossing it, while Beijing complained that those expectations are too high:”

Right Truth (Debbie) Final notice for Muslims to leave U.S. — American Hiroshima Imminent — “We have received the second notice for Muslims to leave America prior to the American Hiroshima promised by al-Qaeda. However, they will not hold off their attack just because Muslims do not heed their warning and leave America. The attack is coming in the month of Ramadan, possibly around the most holy days, the night between the 26th and 27th days of the month — October.”

Election Projection (Scott Elliot) Update is up; write-up to come later — Scott’s weekly roundup is the go to source of election polling and projections.

Blue Crab Boulevard Asia’s Crime Boss — “Aaron L. Friedberg, writing in the Washington Post suggests how the rogue regime of Kim Jong Il might be convinced to give up nuclear ambitions. It would not be easy. Nor would it be by talking one-on-one with the mad midget. Instead, the money which props up the North Korean government must be choked off.”

Don Surber Rove: Take Republicans and the points — “The people who put out the Washington Post are surprised that Karl Rove and President Bush are not in a funk. The story of the day is, “White House Upbeat About GOP Prospects,” subtitled: “Self-Assurance of Bush, Rove and Others Is Not Shared by Many in the Party.” “

If it wasn’t for coffee, I’d have no discernible personality at all. ~ David Letterman

Don Surber Standing up to tyranny — “Iraq is not a distraction from the war on terror. It is at the heart of what this war is about: Standing up to tyranny throughout the world.”

Blue Crab Boulevard What to do about North Korea — “Opening negotiations will simply reward Kim Jong Il’s derangement and bring even greater aggression later. It is also necessary to show Iran that there are distinct consequences, not rewards, for nuclear aggressiveness.”

Captain’s Quarters (Ed Morrissey) Mexico Wants UN To Block Fence — “The American border barrier will sit on American territory, and it will be used to enforce our national border. The need for that enforcement comes from a failure of Mexico to ensure that its citizens cross the border in a legal manner, as well as a failure of the Mexican government to provide the means for their citizens to prosper on their own. Derbez opposes the border because Mexico depends on the American money these workers send home to their families as well as the safety valve the border provides that keeps angry and starving young men from threatening the political order. If Derbez thinks the UN can solve those problems, then he will be sorely disappointed when he files his complaint.”

Right Wing News (John Hawkins) North Korea Blows It — “Whatever the case may be, we still have a starving, threatening, incompetent, unpredictable, dictatorial regime that may or may not have nuclear weapons. That’s a dangerous situation and it really needs to be taken a little more seriously by everyone involved, from the Bush Administration to the Democrats who’ve offered no support for Bush’s policy or workable alternatives to it, to the “international community.” ”

In The Bullpen (Chad Evans) More Fizz Than Pop — “Perhaps the NK nuclear test had the same success as the nation’s long-range rocket? That test, if you recall, was also timed when the six nations working to reach an agreement were scheduled to meet. It’s hard to take a man who wears platform shoes to appear taller seriously, and Kim Jong-Il’s own rushed tests give credence to my weariness.”

Who wasn’t expecting this?

Democrats assail Bush’s N. Korea policy

Democrats seized on North Korea’s brazen act to criticize President Bush’s record in confronting the communist regime, contending the administration’s focus on Iraq ignored legitimate threats.

Democratic Sen. John Kerry, the president’s rival in 2004 and a potential 2008 candidate, assailed Bush’s policy as a “shocking failure,” and said, “While we’ve been bogged down in Iraq where there were no weapons of mass destruction, a madman has apparently tested the ultimate weapon of mass destruction.”

Personally, I’ve been expecting this since I first read about the nuke (if it was one) test.

The left, instead of addressing the problem, instead of offering any solutions or suggestion, and instead of even condemning the action, can only seize an opportunity to bash President Bush. Two examples:

“The Bush administration has for several years been in a state of denial about the growing challenge of North Korea, and has too often tried to downplay the issue or change the subject.” [Harry Reid]

“We had the opportunity to stop North Korea from increasing its nuclear power, but George Bush went to sleep at the switch while he pursued his narrow agenda in Iraq.” [Bob Menendez]

Senator Mitch McConnell sees all of this for what it is.

“Listening to some Democrats, you’d think the enemy was George Bush, not Kim Jong Il,”

I fully believe that many on the left think that very thing.

Many people are like instant coffee: the minute they get in hot water they dissolve. ~ Unknown

Dr. Sanity (Dr. Pat Santy) EVEN MORE BIZARRE THAN YOU THINK — “Kim Jong Il’s theories of what belongs to him and how much attention he should be getting from the world, are also the kind of fantasies indulged in by individuals who are [c]onvinced they are the center of the universe.”

Blogs for Bush (Mark Noonan) Vets for Freedom — “While our best and bravest are out there fighting for us, we here at home often feel a bit useless – no matter what we do, we aren’t doing anything close fo what our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are doing. Nothing we do, of course, will allow us to measure up to the troops, but we can and should all do what small things we can to support the troops – and one thing you can do today is join Vets for Freedom:”

Wizbang (Kim Priestap) New Bin Laden Tape to Be Released — “According to the New York Daily News, a new Bin Laden tape will be released to correspond with the anniversary of the 7/7 London bombings:”

Mark in Mexico Mexico election – liveblogging the District counts — “The 300 federal election District Committees are reporting their vote package counts. Remember, they are not counting vote by vote. The votes from each casilla (poll) are sealed in “paquetes” and may not be opened except in 4 very special cases.”

Nancy Astor: “If I were your wife, I would put poison in your coffee.”
Sir Winston Churchill: “And if I were your husband, I would drink it.”

Happy 2nd Blogiversary to:
Dr. Sanity!

Captain’s Quarters (Ed Morrissey) Israeli Cabinet Approves Deeper Gaza Incursion, Buffer Zone — “After Hamas fired a longer-range Kassam rocket that hit the city of Ashkelon, the Israeli cabinet has decided to respond to this escalation by pushing the Palestinians farther away. The IDF will deepen their northern incursion into Gaza and start leveling residential structures in their rocket-staging area, intending to set up a permanent buffer zone.”

Iowa Voice (Brian) So How Many Did They Launch? — “We’re quickly getting past the point of no return here. North Korea is already isolated and the international pressure is about as high as it can get, yet he’s not backing down.”

ScrappleFace (Scott Ott) N. Korea Launches Attack Against Sea of Japan — “North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il today acknowledged that he had ordered yesterday’s missile strikes against the Sea of Japan in response to what he called “threatening and provocative movements” that the body of water had made against his nation’s coastline.”

Don Surber Soldiers become citizens — “The Independence Day story of the year is from AP out of Bagram, Afghanistan, where 26 U.S. soldiers from 21 nations became U.S. citizens on the Fourth of July. They took advantage of a 2004 law that speeds up the citizenship process for those in the military.”

Ankle Biting Pundits (Bull Dog Pundit) President Finally Coming To His Senses On Immigration? — “While Karl Rove and Tony Snow say that the President believes any reform should address the status of the 11 million illegals already here one “anonymous source” close to the deliberations predicted the President would abandon the “path to citizenship” (a/k/a “amnesty”)”