Tuesday, June 12, 2018

America Unrepresented at the North Korea Summit

President Donald Trump got a glossy photo op that may help him in the midterm elections.  North Korea got so much more.  America got nothing.

For over 30 years the North Korea Kims have sought a meeting with an American president.  Other presidents have refused to lift the brutal, backward nation up to coequal status with the United States, absent major concessions.  Trump had no such reservations.

But North Korea got so much more.  The United States committed to security for the repressive regime.  Face to face Trump blinked.  He sweetened the pot beyond the pre-agreed communique by ending joint military exercises with South Korea.

Even the denuclearization pledge favored North Korea.  It is the same pledge made and ignored before.   The vague language is the wording demanded by Kim.  For North Korea it can mean withdrawal of, not only all US troops, but also,  of the nuclear umbrella protecting South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.  Most importantly, the word "verification" is not in the document.  So verification is not even a jointly agreed goal.

Americans voted for the author of, "Art of the Deal."  Instead we got the game show barker from "Let's Make a Deal."  Is American security behind door number 2?

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