First he put Trump's transgender ban on hold. Now, he's got to rein in the tough talk on North Korea.
Donald Trump appeared to rule out contacts with the North Korean regime in the wake of its missile test over Japan on Wednesday, declaring: “Talking is not the answer.”
Minutes later, however, the defense secretary, James Mattis, flatly contradicted the president’s blanket statement, telling reporters: “We’re never out of diplomatic solutions.”
[...]
Trump’s declaration, delivered as usual in the form of a tweet, appeared to reflect frustration that his threats of “fire and fury” against North Korea earlier this month had failed to deter it from carrying out missile tests. He had recently claimed, after a lull of more than three weeks in such tests, that Kim Jong-un “is starting to respect us”.
[...]
Some speculated that Trump’s tweet could have been sparked by comments made on television overnight by the former US intelligence chief James Clapper, who said the US had “limited options” in dealing with a North Korean regime that has demonstrated its ability to build nuclear warheads and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
“We may have to hold our nose and we may have to consider some concessions,” Clapper told CNN. Days earlier, Trump responded angrily to Clapper openly questioning his mental fitness for office.
Guardian
I'd say the speculators are on the right trail.
Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association. “Pyongyang could have aimed the missiles to splash near Guam [instead of overshooting Japan] as it was planning.
“The timing could be important. The US and South Korea are putting on military exercises and Japan just put on unilateral sanctions, and Pyongyang always responds to provocations and provocations.”
Can't wait to see Mad Dog Mattis' biography post-Trump administration.
No comments:
Post a Comment