This is a well-written overview of our options regarding North Korea, though it's critical of that "double-standard" that so many keep talking about.

President Bush is "sick and tired of games and deceptions" where Iraq is concerned, but North Korea appears to be quite a different matter. Tuesday, even as the President threatened a war to disarm Iraq, he offered an olive branch to its fellow "Axis of Evil" state North Korea — unlike Iraq, a proven and proud offender in both the nuclear and the proliferation field. The president affirmed that the U.S. was offering North Korea food and energy aid if it agrees to stop its nuclear program, an approach he labeled a "bold initiative." But to Korea watchers, the offer had more than a passing resemblance to the Clinton Administration's approach, long-pilloried by Team Bush.

Again, the point is, we don't have any good options when dealing with North Korea (as opposed to Iraq), because North Korea already has the bomb.

This article opens with the derisive paragraph above, then outlines how we're going to retry the 1994 agreement brokered by Clinton. Imagine that, trying diplomacy before turning to military options.

I'm still wondering what's going on in people's heads when they point out the perceived double-standard. Many of them are self-proclaimed peace lovers. Do they want us to go to war with North Korea?

If not, it certainly seems like a strange way to argue against military intervention against Iraq. We've tried, and exhausted, diplomatic options with Iraq over nearly a 12-year period, with the U.N. issuing over 16 resolutions. The military option is the final resort. The threat of military action is the only reason we have inspectors in the country right now...anybody who thinks otherwise is fooling themselves.

How many resolutions has the U.N. passed with regard to North Korea? Hmm. And now that North Korea has essentially threatened war if sanctions are imposed on them, and they own nuclear weapons, what are the odds that a U.N. resolution will be passed? Does anyone think the U.N. is willing to call that bluff? Again, our options stink. But we're trying diplomacy first and foremost. We have one failed pact, spurned by the North Koreans, but we're giving them another chance. Are critics honestly arguing that we shouldn't?

And as with Iraq, I would ask these people what they would do. If you think the Bush Administration is so incredibly incompetent, please share your wisdom. We're in desperate need right now.