My God, man! Have you no decency?
Cheney was a real piece of work. At first he hated W because he saw him as a stupid weakling he could push around.
But when W saw how twisted he was and pushed back, Cheney hated him for THAT. Cheney was a fucking psychopath. So is Bolton.
I thought you knew! 
I never imagined you could sink to such depths of depravity.
We’re number one!
We’re number one!
We’re number one!
Oh wait…
So, I heard James “Spider” Marks on CNN say we’d shoot down any ICBM. I’m skeptical about our ability to do so, at least on any reliable basis. But hell, defense tech is pretty advanced. Anyone have any idea on our capabilities here?
Not according to this guy in Great Debates -
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20401804&postcount=6
Meh. He told them in no uncertain terms what would happen to them if they struck first. No mention of us striking first, just a reiteration of our long standing policy towards a nuclear attack on us.
Rolling eyes might have been a better response to their threat but I’m hard pressed to condemn and panic over what Trump said.
You’d be hard pressed to condemn and panic if Trump started throwing nukes around at random.
Bit more than that, actually. Know what Kennedy said after Khrushchev parked those missiles on Cuba? “It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union.”
No fire, no fury, simply “a full retaliatory response”.
I missed this earlier. Thanks for taking and answering the question seriously.
In some ways I don’t disagree with you. If all they seek is to sit at the big table, who cares. The world knows what they are and letting them live and do as they please (within the bounds of every other nation out there) isn’t anything I would be against, personally. The regime wants to slaughter and subjugate their people, again, who cares (it’s the Libertarian streak in me that doesn’t have issues with it).
The problem is that every US president both Republican and Democrat, hawk and dove alike, have taken the stance that NK should be alienated from the rest of the world for acts against its people and its neighbors. For all of them to come to that same conclusion (personally) gives me pause. I can’t believe their reasons are anything less then educated and based on ideas plenty of people think are sound.
On the other hand, it resembles Cuba in that lifting sanctions and dismissing the hate of the past is doubtful to come to the threats we had from them before, if that makes any sense. That is, as much as we disagree with them letting them do as they please so long as it doesn’t effect, us fine. They come after us we turn them into glass.
On a moral level I’m looser than most regarding crazy dictators, including every president so far. I can only think it’s because I don’t know enough about the risks and ultimately take their word as being right.
It’s still the same thing though. It only ‘sounds’ nicer.
That’s the argument?
The threat of that I put at zero. So do those better in the know.
The people that don’t need a reality check.
What do you think diplomacy is?
Not all of it. You’re forgetting that Trump has a history of wanting to use nukes and not understanding why he can’t. Now he’s in charge of them.
I am listening to local right-wing radio talk shows, and they are currently taking solace in the apparent fact that prominent people on Guam, including the Governor, don’t seem to be taking this possible threat to their island as seriously as we on the mainland do. What they don’t mention is that Guam makes it’s money from tourism, and even a hint of panic will cause a wave of cancellations that could do serious damage to their economy.
I didn’t say it was a possibility. I was addressing the fact that you have your head so far up Trump’s ass that you’re sharing eyeballs.
It’s like an x-rated version of “Being John Malkovich”.
There is a not-zero chance that he will want to use nukes. Let’s hope cooler heads prevail if that time comes.
I see. When you say one thing you mean something else entirely.
Hell, if he ever does it’ll very likely be tweeted. Which will get ignored by the brass much like the one about getting transgender people out of the military.
That’s a possible way to parse Trump’s meaning, but it’s certainly not the plain text of his words:
North Korea had best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.
A first attack by North Korea is not a “threat.” So the plain meaning of Trump’s words is not what you summarized: he’s not limiting his warning to ‘they struck first.’
Perhaps your meaning is what Trump was thinking.
But the problem is that especially in diplomacy, it’s important to communicate clearly. Sometimes this involves using accepted diplomatic norms. (“The gravest possible consequences.”) Sometimes plain speech can suffice. But in no event does Trump’s whacky version of of “Guess what I really mean,” do an adequate job.
This was always the most serious danger with Trump: his inability to hew to accepted norms.
Less politely: he’s a dangerous amateur; a baby with a loaded Uzi in a room full of explosives.