Oh, and Treasury’s BDA sanctions were announced on September 15th, and North Korea signed that deal four days later, on September 19th. Of course, North Korea creatively reinterpreted the deal later that day, demanding a light water reactor up front. In fact, behind the bluster, North Korea is most likely to make concessions when under pressure.

Is anyone else gobsmacked by the fact that the Administration keeps a story like this secret for 7 months, and people theorize conspiracies not about the coverup but about the disclosure? I certainly smell a rat, but it’s the coverup — which was dissolving rapidly under a stream of leaks — that upsets me.

By the way, good to hear from you again.