David Sanger: Obama Tired of Kim Jong Il’s B.S.

Regardless of what you think of N.Y. Times correspondent David Sanger or his paper, Sanger is rightly known for the quality of his access to the White House, regardless of who occupies it.  Here, he reveals the administration’s thinking about North Korea:

The decision to confront North Korea with overwhelming pressure — designed to bring its shipping and financial transactions to a virtual standstill — is based on the conclusion that re-entering negotiations to buy the dismantlement of the country’s main nuclear facility at Yongbyon is a futile strategy. It has already failed twice, once for President Clinton, once for President Bush. When Robert M. Gates, the defense secretary, said “I’m tired of buying the same horse twice,” he was signaling that the administration would not offer fuel, food or security guarantees in return for incremental steps to take apart the reactors and plutonium reprocessing facilities inside the high walls at Yongbyon.

It may not be a problem; North Korea says it is never coming back to the talks. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. But until then, Mr. Obama’s “engagement” strategy is more about overwhelming pressure than diplomacy. [N.Y. Times]

Related:   A favorite of mine, Rep. Brad Sherman (D, CA) talks about North Korea, money, and proliferation.