Today's Reading Assignment

Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, on the "tragic end" of Bush Administration's policy toward North Korea. His opening paragraphs sum it up well:

Maskirovka – the Soviet dark art of denial, deception and disguise – is alive and well in Pyongyang, years after the Soviet Union disappeared. Unfortunately, the Bush administration appears not to have gotten the word.

With much fanfare and choreography, but little substance, the administration has accepted a North Korean "declaration" about its nuclear program that is narrowly limited, incomplete and almost certainly dishonest in material respects. In exchange, President Bush personally declared that North Korea is no longer a state sponsor of terrorism or an enemy of the United States. In a final flourish, North Korea has undertaken a reverse Potemkin Village act, destroying the antiquated cooling tower of the antiquated Yongbyon reactor. In the waning days of American presidencies, this theater is the stuff of legacy.

Read the whole thing, at OpinionJournal.com.

Today's Reading Assignment

..from former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton in The Wall Street Journal. With North Korea refusing to provide a full disclosure of its nuclear activities--as promised in the Six Party Accord--the U.S. now has an opportunity to extricate itself from a deal that Mr. Bolton describes as "unwise" and "dangerous."

Moreover, Washington would find ready support for a tougher line against Pyongyang. South Korea's new president, Lee Myung-bak (who takes office next month), is the first "realist" to occupy the Blue House in a decade. Japan's prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda, is continuing Tokyo's tough-minded approach toward North Korea. In turn, unity among the U.S., South Korea and Japan would allow Washington to put more pressure on North Korea, through new economic sanctions and other measures.

Sadly, Bolton's advice will fall on deaf ears. The Foggy Bottom crowd is now firmly in charge of U.S. security policies, and the career diplomats--along with the White House--have staked their reputations and legacies on the Six Party deal. Never mind that Kim Jong-il is up to his usual tricks.