Comments on: Obama Gears Up for “Plan B;” John Kerry Blocks Terror Re-Listing http://freekorea.us/2009/06/05/obama-and-plan-b/ Wed, 23 May 2012 10:34:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: nkmatters http://freekorea.us/2009/06/05/obama-and-plan-b/comment-page-1/#comment-66973 nkmatters Sat, 06 Jun 2009 04:21:13 +0000 http://freekorea.us/2009/06/05/obama-gears-up-for-plan-b-john-kerry-checks-self-for-rectal-polyps/#comment-66973 "being easier meat than Lance Bass in Riker’s Island" wow...just wow. hahahaha “being easier meat than Lance Bass in Riker’s Island”
wow…just wow. hahahaha

]]> By: Joshua Stanton http://freekorea.us/2009/06/05/obama-and-plan-b/comment-page-1/#comment-66965 Joshua Stanton Fri, 05 Jun 2009 23:24:29 +0000 http://freekorea.us/2009/06/05/obama-gears-up-for-plan-b-john-kerry-checks-self-for-rectal-polyps/#comment-66965 Listener, you are indeed a cryptic man, but I doubt you've ever spent a Christmas in Cambodia. Listener, you are indeed a cryptic man, but I doubt you’ve ever spent a Christmas in Cambodia.

]]> By: a listener http://freekorea.us/2009/06/05/obama-and-plan-b/comment-page-1/#comment-66963 a listener Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:19:16 +0000 http://freekorea.us/2009/06/05/obama-gears-up-for-plan-b-john-kerry-checks-self-for-rectal-polyps/#comment-66963 I did not get elected by charisma alone Mr. stanton... j/k I did not get elected by charisma alone Mr. stanton…

j/k

]]> By: Joshua http://freekorea.us/2009/06/05/obama-and-plan-b/comment-page-1/#comment-66960 Joshua Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:25:34 +0000 http://freekorea.us/2009/06/05/obama-gears-up-for-plan-b-john-kerry-checks-self-for-rectal-polyps/#comment-66960 usinkorea, I think that's right. I think this becomes like the Kaesong situation -- Kim Jong Il's own behavior is so erratic that having financial dealings with him becomes prohibitively risky to one's investment. Why would anyone install an expensive machine tool in Kaesong, knowing that His Withered Majesty might expropriate it tomorrow? By the same token, why hold Kim Jong Il's assets now that Treasury is talking about sanctioning banks that do? All businesses are terrified of risk, but banks are more terrified than most. They simply can't tolerate risks to their liquidity. Even if Obama doesn't drop the hammer, Levey's visit will probably have some residual effect on North Korea for years, in the same sense that Kim Jong Il's recent moves on Kaesong are almost certainly fatal to the entire project. usinkorea, I think that’s right. I think this becomes like the Kaesong situation — Kim Jong Il’s own behavior is so erratic that having financial dealings with him becomes prohibitively risky to one’s investment. Why would anyone install an expensive machine tool in Kaesong, knowing that His Withered Majesty might expropriate it tomorrow? By the same token, why hold Kim Jong Il’s assets now that Treasury is talking about sanctioning banks that do? All businesses are terrified of risk, but banks are more terrified than most. They simply can’t tolerate risks to their liquidity. Even if Obama doesn’t drop the hammer, Levey’s visit will probably have some residual effect on North Korea for years, in the same sense that Kim Jong Il’s recent moves on Kaesong are almost certainly fatal to the entire project.

]]> By: usinkorea http://freekorea.us/2009/06/05/obama-and-plan-b/comment-page-1/#comment-66957 usinkorea Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:50:52 +0000 http://freekorea.us/2009/06/05/obama-gears-up-for-plan-b-john-kerry-checks-self-for-rectal-polyps/#comment-66957 If Obama does follow through, it will likely have great significance: The Bush administration eventually wiped away the gains in pressure the Treasury Department had achieved, but if we remember back to the early period of the flipflop, it didn't appear easy at all to reverse the sanctions. Eventually, we got to witness a bitterly comical situation in which the now Chris Hill-driven US NK policy had to beg banks in the US and abroad to help the US give NK back it's frozen money and unclog the North's international financing channels. Meaning: when the US government decided to flip a switch and reverse itself on the new pressure methods, the international banking industry couldn't simply change gears that quickly - and the issue drug on until it was embarrasing to the US. So, if Obama does move in this direction, it should be a sign that he has some determination for a prolonged pressure of the North: -- The people at Treasury and elsewhere who were part of the Bush-abandoned sanctions should remember how thorny it was to back out of them after NK policy was turned over to Hill. They'd have to consider that putting the sanctions back in place and maybe elevating them higher would be just as difficult or more so to back out of a 2nd time around. In short, to use a quasi-metaphor: Obama should know that using these sanctions will not be like dropping some cruise missiles on terrorist training sites in Afghanistan and Syria or WMD sites in Iraq as Clinton did. The sanctions won't be a one day event - a show of force - that will quickly fade away. He should know ahead of time that the policy will be a significant move in the international banking system. Which should mean -- if he makes the move, it means he's in for the long haul. If Obama does follow through, it will likely have great significance:

The Bush administration eventually wiped away the gains in pressure the Treasury Department had achieved, but if we remember back to the early period of the flipflop, it didn’t appear easy at all to reverse the sanctions.

Eventually, we got to witness a bitterly comical situation in which the now Chris Hill-driven US NK policy had to beg banks in the US and abroad to help the US give NK back it’s frozen money and unclog the North’s international financing channels.

Meaning: when the US government decided to flip a switch and reverse itself on the new pressure methods, the international banking industry couldn’t simply change gears that quickly – and the issue drug on until it was embarrasing to the US.

So, if Obama does move in this direction, it should be a sign that he has some determination for a prolonged pressure of the North:

– The people at Treasury and elsewhere who were part of the Bush-abandoned sanctions should remember how thorny it was to back out of them after NK policy was turned over to Hill. They’d have to consider that putting the sanctions back in place and maybe elevating them higher would be just as difficult or more so to back out of a 2nd time around.

In short, to use a quasi-metaphor: Obama should know that using these sanctions will not be like dropping some cruise missiles on terrorist training sites in Afghanistan and Syria or WMD sites in Iraq as Clinton did. The sanctions won’t be a one day event – a show of force – that will quickly fade away.

He should know ahead of time that the policy will be a significant move in the international banking system.

Which should mean — if he makes the move, it means he’s in for the long haul.

]]> By: Steven Yu http://freekorea.us/2009/06/05/obama-and-plan-b/comment-page-1/#comment-66956 Steven Yu Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:12:30 +0000 http://freekorea.us/2009/06/05/obama-gears-up-for-plan-b-john-kerry-checks-self-for-rectal-polyps/#comment-66956 Greg, If you so believe that, then you are quite ignorant. It's not as simple as that and I wish people like you would do your research before posting on items that you have very limited knowledge of. Greg,

If you so believe that, then you are quite ignorant. It’s not as simple as that and I wish people like you would do your research before posting on items that you have very limited knowledge of.

]]> By: Greg http://freekorea.us/2009/06/05/obama-and-plan-b/comment-page-1/#comment-66954 Greg Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:44:10 +0000 http://freekorea.us/2009/06/05/obama-gears-up-for-plan-b-john-kerry-checks-self-for-rectal-polyps/#comment-66954 The US borrows $10 billion a month from China to fund the Iraq war. China owns the US. The US borrows $10 billion a month from China to fund the Iraq war. China owns the US.

]]> By: Mike http://freekorea.us/2009/06/05/obama-and-plan-b/comment-page-1/#comment-66950 Mike Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:41:32 +0000 http://freekorea.us/2009/06/05/obama-gears-up-for-plan-b-john-kerry-checks-self-for-rectal-polyps/#comment-66950 I read an AFP article on China Daily which included the following lines. In my experience China Daily does not republish a story like this with lines like this about Chinese policy unless they reflect actual chinese policy. So that is a good sign on the China front. ---------------- Steinberg, in a meeting with ROK President Lee Myung-Bak yesterday, was quoted as saying that China has grown cooler towards its traditional ally since the test. "North Korea (DPRK) is failing to read changes in China's position," the Seoul presidential office quoted Steinberg as saying at the private meeting. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2009-06/05/content_8250805.htm I read an AFP article on China Daily which included the following lines. In my experience China Daily does not republish a story like this with lines like this about Chinese policy unless they reflect actual chinese policy. So that is a good sign on the China front.

—————-

Steinberg, in a meeting with ROK President Lee Myung-Bak yesterday, was quoted as saying that China has grown cooler towards its traditional ally since the test.

“North Korea (DPRK) is failing to read changes in China’s position,” the Seoul presidential office quoted Steinberg as saying at the private meeting.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2009-06/05/content_8250805.htm

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