McCain Criticizes Clinton on N Korea

JP5 · #1 (**permalink**) 10-10-2006, 09:46 AM

By SARAH KARUSH, Associated Press Writer
37 minutes ago

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - Republican Sen. John McCain on Tuesday accused former President Clinton, the husband of his potential 2008 White House rival, of failing to act in the 1990s to stop North Korea from developing nuclear weapons.

"I would remind Senator (Hillary) Clinton and other Democrats critical of the Bush administration's policies that the framework agreement her husband's administration negotiated was a failure," McCain said at a news conference after a campaign appearance for Republican Senate candidate Mike Bouchard.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061010/...korea_mccain_1

Beagle66 · #2 (**permalink**) 10-10-2006, 10:58 AM

Quote:

An adviser to Hillary Clinton, who provided background information on the condition of anonymity, said that Clinton believes the 1993 agreement was largely a success in that it deterred North Korea from reprocessing plutonium. Clinton credits direct diplomacy by members of the administration, who publicly rebuked and privately threatened North Korea in 1994. Through the end of the Clinton administration, North Korea refrained from plutonium enrichment. In this account, it was only when Pres. Bush rejected the framework agreement that North Korea secretly began to reprocess plutonium, which eventually culminated in this weekend's test. Clinton acknowledges that the national security apparatus failed to effectively police North Korea's hidden efforts to reprocess uranium in the 1990s but has concluded that the framework agreement generally contained the threat.

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/

This puts the ball squarely in Bush's hands and he dropped it magnificently. Five years and counting and Republicans still refuse to hold Bush accountable for his failures, preferring instead to tell lies about Bill Clinton.

SenaxFlatulus · #3 (**permalink**) 10-10-2006, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beagle66";p=&quot

Quote:

An adviser to Hillary Clinton, who provided background information on the condition of anonymity, said that Clinton believes the 1993 agreement was largely a success in that it deterred North Korea from reprocessing plutonium. Clinton credits direct diplomacy by members of the administration, who publicly rebuked and privately threatened North Korea in 1994. Through the end of the Clinton administration, North Korea refrained from plutonium enrichment. In this account, it was only when Pres. Bush rejected the framework agreement that North Korea secretly began to reprocess plutonium, which eventually culminated in this weekend's test. Clinton acknowledges that the national security apparatus failed to effectively police North Korea's hidden efforts to reprocess uranium in the 1990s but has concluded that the framework agreement generally contained the threat.

This puts the ball squarely in Bush's hands and he dropped it magnificently. Five years and counting and Republicans still refuse to hold Bush accountable for his failures, preferring instead to tell lies about Bill Clinton.

Squarely in Bush's hands?

You forgot to delete the sentence following the one you hilighted. You know, the one that says Clinton failed to effectively stop NK from secretly developing Nukes. Then quick to add they're "sure" it contained the threat.

Evidently the recent detonation in NK is resounding evidence that the threat containment by Clinton has failed.

But then that's Bush's fault, right?

That's equivalent to saying, "He promised us he wouldn't use the reactors we gave him to develop weapons grade plutonium. He lied to us." But then, that's what Allbright said to Russert about it a few years ago. "We were tricked!"

With your ilk, all roads lead to Bush.

Liberty · #4 (**permalink**) 10-10-2006, 11:33 AM

As I understand it, any weapons grade plutonium they have is from older reactors (i.e. pre-Clinton). The Clinton admin (through Carter) negotiated to have them stop reprocessing plutonium from those older reactors in turn for newer reactors with much less weapons potential. Those newer reactors were never completed.

While NK refrained from further reprocessing of plutonium, they were secretly working on a second method -- uranium enrichment. Thus, the Clinton deal may have bought some time with respect to plutonium reprocessing, but it did not halt the nuclear program. This is what was divilged early in the Bush admin, and why we halted completion of the reactors and fuel oil shipments, leading kim to break the seals on reprocessing, so on and so forth.

JP5 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-10-2006, 12:06 PM

It was North Korea who bought some time; not us. They fooled the Clinton administration and Carter into believing they had given up something. They did not. All Clinton and Carter did was to delay the inevitable for the next President.

superbadbrutha · #6 (**permalink**) 10-10-2006, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JP5";p=&quot

It was North Korea who bought some time; not us. They fooled the Clinton administration and Carter into believing they had given up something. They did not. All Clinton and Carter did was to delay the inevitable for the next President.

Ok, according to your logic that means Reagan and Bush 41 left the problem for Clinton it is amazing how you nicely left out those two.

Peace.

Liberty · #7 (**permalink**) 10-10-2006, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JP5";p=&quot

It was North Korea who bought some time; not us.

Perhaps so -- we didn't really gain anything from the extra time, while NK was able to pursue uranium enrichment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JP5";p=&quot

They fooled the Clinton administration and Carter into believing they had given up something. They did not. All Clinton and Carter did was to delay the inevitable for the next President.

The plan met its intended output (stop NK from reprocessing plutonium) but failed in its intended outcome (stop the NK nuke program).

JP5 · #8 (**permalink**) 10-10-2006, 12:42 PM

"Back in 1994, Sen. McCain was a leading opponent of the deal President Clinton struck with North Korea. He told PBS's Robert MacNeil that the US would come to "regret [the deal] very, very much" and noted that even though North Korea has "violated the nonproliferation treaty egregiously time and time again, ... we are now rewarding them.... And not only are we saying it's okay to Korea, but we'll be saying that it's okay to Iran and other countries who will demand a similar deal."

Sen. McCain strongly supports President Bush’s call for the following actions by the U.N. Security Council:

- Impose Chapter 7 sanctions on North Korea
- Impose a military embargo
- Impose financial trade sanctions
- The right to interdict and inspect all cargo in and out of North Korea

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Weblog.../TWSFPView.asp

Liberty · #9 (**permalink**) 10-10-2006, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by superbadbrutha";p=&quot

Ok, according to your logic that means Reagan and Bush 41 left the problem for Clinton it is amazing how you nicely left out those two.

Peace.

It wasn't a problem for either of those presidents because NK had signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which meant their activity was safeguarded by the IAEA (they also didn't have a need for nuclear weapons with the Soviet superpower). The problem fell in Clinton's lap because NK threatened to withdraw from the treaty and block IAEA inspectors in 1993.

Liberty · #10 (**permalink**) 10-10-2006, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JP5";p=&quot

"Back in 1994, Sen. McCain was a leading opponent of the deal President Clinton struck with North Korea."

It's not even entirely clear whether Clinton was 100% behind the deal -- at the time people were saying Carter went behind his back and got CNN to broadcast the "success" before Clinton made the decision. Jimmy -- and his flawless record on foreign policy.

In addition:

Quote:

Clinton administration officials have privately said that they agreed to the plan in 1994 only because they thought the North Korean government would collapse before the project was completed.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...071200220.html

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