Letter: Bush acting correctly on North Korea

Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2006 | 7:30 a.m.

First, let me say that I would stand with an organization with the stated goals of Albert Marquis' Target Nuclear Terrorism. However, if first impressions account for anything, I won't be standing with his group. Mr. Marquis' Oct. 13 letter to the editor, "Blame Bush for North Korea going nuclear," places the probity of his organization under suspicion. He asks us to examine the facts, then promptly launches into a typical Bush-bashing diatribe.

The fact is that President Bush rightfully quit honoring the Clinton/Carter debacle after Kim Jong-Il's mendacious efforts were confirmed in October '02 and after Kim expelled the IAEA inspectors in December '02. Kim violated the "Agreed Framework" from the get go. He has continued to use his two Russian light-water reactors to obtain enriched uranium 235, 238 and plutonium 239, all the while accepting the Carter/Clinton payoffs.

Mr. Marquis' claim that Bush "cut off all communications with North Korea" flies in the face of the fact that the Bush administration has always stood ready to talk if Kim agrees to suspend his nuclear enrichment efforts and allow his neighbors to attend!

Bush is excoriated for his imaginary unilateral decision to liberate Iraq and is now pounded for not entering into unilateral blackmail negotiations with North Korea. What is the president to do, check with Cindy Sheehan when faced with a foreign relations problem?

Every president since Truman's foolish firing of Gen. MacArthur has kicked the Korea can down the road, and here we are! Maybe Bush won't.

F. Jay Harrell, Las Vegas