Team Trump struggles to keep its story straight on North Korea

[workinclasszero]

Team Trump struggles to keep its story straight on North Korea
By Steve Benen 08/03/17 10:06 AM

So to recap, the Trump administration is for, and against, and for, and against direct diplomatic discussions with North Korea.

The president, meanwhile, insists he has this all figured out.

Responding to a reporter’s question at a White House event this week, Trump said, “We’ll handle North Korea. We’re going to be able to handle them. It will be handled. We handle everything.”

I feel better already.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/team-trump-struggles-keep-its-story-straight-north-korea

[Not Ruth]

1. Why is the US alone in handling North Korea?

Was it like this under Obama? We have not had diplomatic relations recently.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. To some extent, the Obama policy of "strategic patience" got us to where we are today.

[workinclasszero]

5. Uh this shit with NK has been going on since July 27, 1953

Why does President Obama get the blame???

[WhiskeyGrinder]

6. No blame at all. The poster asked what it was like under Obama, and I answered.

[workinclasszero]

8. President Obama tried to deal with the NK despot peacefully

as he knew full well that hundreds of thousands of innocent RoK citizens would die in the first couple of hours after an American attack against NK. Not to mention the 20000 or so military personnel we have stationed in South Korea.

There is speculation about NK being able to mount a nuke on their ICBM that can reach American soil but no doubt whatsoever that they can drop some on our military bases in South Korea.

Oh and the fact that North Korea has 1.2 million man army under arms ready to head south any minute of any day.

But yeah I'm sure the pussy grabber draft dodger in charge has a better plan to deal with NK than Obama did.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

9. Tough talk and sanctions work only if you're willing to concede down the line.

You seem to be hung up on the fact that I used the word "Obama" and that it somehow means I think Trump could "do better" or that I don't understand what's at stake, neither of which is the case. I do think it is important to realize the nuclearization of North Korea is something we've been fucking up since we abandoned the denuke deal under Bush and have tried to resort to disapproval and sanctions without concessions ever since, which gets us nowhere as NK makes its advances.

[workinclasszero]

11. What i don't get is the sudden panic that we have to do something NOW!!!11!!!!

Putin's Russia has 10 thousand nukes aimed at us 24/7/365. So does China.

Do we need to panic a hundredfold over that and start the horrible end of the world tomorrow?

Why fuckin NK? Why now?

If that fucker dare attack us we would wipe his evil regime off the fucking map in an instant. I'm pretty sure he knows that.

If Trump sneak attacks NK it will open the worse pandora's box this world has ever seen. I think you can count on that.

If he attacks us then it's self defense and not our fault. If we attack, it's all our fault. Every horrible, needless death and the worldwide consequences of a major nuclear/bio/chem war.

All our fault.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

12. Because we have diplomatic relations with Russia and China.

Russia and China also play by rules we generally understand. North Korea doesn't have either relations or rules. It's found that the only thing people will listen to is a nuke, so it's busted its ass to make that happen.

Getting wiped off the map isn't a threat to them. They've believed for years that they are within days of that happening anyway. For many in NK, hitting the U.S. with a nuclear weapon would be worth it.

There's no good way out, really, especially now that we have a president who approaches things so ham-handedly. Much of the current problem lies with him, but getting him out of office isn't something that will magically solve the NK problem, either.

[workinclasszero]

13. "There's no good way out"

On this we can agree although I'd feel a lot better if a rational human being was the one making possible end of the world decisions and not a moronic mental defective Russian stooge that sits on his golden toilet in the white house twitering and wipes his ass with the Constitution when he's done.

If you know what I mean.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

14. I hear you, and I don't think we really disagree at all.

We're just talking about the same thing with different perspectives and angles.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

10. But I get it -- you posted an article on the incompetence of the Trump administration, which is

totally valid. I read it and started thinking about how this isn't a surprise anymore and we can't waste time being amazed at what an idiot he is. We have to look at these situations and understand them so we can agitate and advocate more effectively.

[WinkyDink]

2. Oh, I am quite sure Trump at least tries to "handle everything."

[Not Ruth]

3. North Korea is very smart according to reports

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is "not a nutcase," and likely won't start a war, former Sen. Max Baucus told CNBC on Wednesday.

"People say he's a nut case. He's not. He's very calculating. He's very smart. He's playing all this very, very well. He's not going to push the button because then he's gone," the Montana Democrat said on "Squawk Box."

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/26/north-koreas-leader-is-not-a-nutcase-hes-calculating-says-ex-us-ambassador-to-china.html

[Docreed2003]

7. Ugh!!!!! I cannot freaking stand how Trump speaks

His constant need to repeat a phrase again and again is so infuriating! Mainly because it reveals his baseline ignorance.

"It's gonna be handled. We'll handle it. We handle everything". Seriously, wtf is that nonsense??? And he speaks in repetitive troupes constantly!!!