Friday, August 29, 2003

[9:27 PM] I wrote here over and over that pre-war Iraq posed no threat to United States for a number of reasons, most of them related to technical capabilities or lack thereof. But Iraq’s apparent ability to pose a regional threat because of its suspected chemical and biological weapons (and dubious nuclear program) made it the concern that eventually led to war. So it’s very striking to me how little attention is being paid to the two countries not only with nuclear weapons ambitions but with robust nuclear programs – Iran and North Korea. The Bush administration is still feeling its way into a North Korea policy and it is not at all clear what it will do about Iran’s burgeoning nuclear program. How ironic it is then that when North Korea proclaims that it may have to test a nuclear weapon to get a little respect, that announcement winds up on page six of the New York Times. These two situations are crucial situations for U.S. security. So naturally we hear very little from the president’s mouth about either situation. Who is setting the page six agenda, the White House or is the White House taking its cue from the media?

# posted 9:31 PM