I think the Bush administration has egg on its face. Re: North Korea. N. Korea is ratcheting up its nuclear program again and it was reported this morning that they are removing UN surveilance equipment from nuclear sites. It is widely accepted that they have enough plutonium to build about half a dozen nuclear weapons and (get this) they can build these within the next six months! So what on earth are we doing in Iraq when it is, and was, clear that N. Korea is a far more imminent threat? In fact, it is widely held that they have a couple of nuclear weapons. The reticence of the Bush administration is somewhat baffling. Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney et al sure were rattling those sabres when it came to a potential but not immediate threat from Iraq but with N. Korea, we have become kittens. Go figure. Many would say that we are pursuing Israel's foreign policy and we have no similar strategic partner in the far east . . .

Lieberman is in Palestine today working on a peace process with Palestinian leaders and he says he supports Palestinian statehood. Now, I have to say that I am impressed and that I had him figured wrong. When Sharon was pummeling the Palestinians earlier in the year, a move that was senseless and ineffective and a violation of human rights, Lieberman supported the move and, here's the kicker, he said that Israel should be given the greenlight to "destroy and root out the infrastructure of terrorism." Well, guess what? Those were Sharon's exact words too. After that, I decided that we can't trust Lieberman's objectivity to deal equitably in the region if he was president, because he may become a rubber stamp for Israel, much like Bush has. The US has to remain credible with the Arabs and be an honest peace broker. So I must say that it is impressive to see Lieberman interested in palestinian welfare.