North Korea has wasted little time in carrying out its threat to perform a nuclear test, and Pyongyang appears positively to be revelling in its pariah status as condemnation rains down on it from all quarters, including its closest ally, China.
While most commentators consider the big-picture implications - the possibility of a regional arms race, as well as what to do next - a lively debate is taking place among US bloggers on the likely impact on American domestic politics. And, of course, on which administration is to blame.
Milblogs argues that with Congress up for grabs, the North Korean test is a big plus for the Republicans in the coming November mid-term elections.
The Democratic party in the US right now are pissed off that this October surprise outdid their own Foley-Hastert-Woodward-leaked-intelligence-reports October surprises before the US mid-term elections, though the Democrats will of course claim that Bush is [at] fault because to them he is at fault for everything. The Republicans on the other hand are all smiles right now since they will probably gain votes from this test and Foley is out of the headlines.
Don Surber agrees with most commentators that there is little the US or the international community can do. He blames "lefties" for not allowing the US to play the role of world policeman, though he provides few details of what a tough approach on North Korea would have entailed.
Coming from the other end of the political spectrum, Taylor Marsh, argues that the North Korean test is further proof of the failure of the Bush administration's diplomacy, in first dumping Bill Clinton's policy and then taunting Pyongyang by bracketing North Korea with Iran and Iraq in the "axis of evil".
Ignoring enemies means bad things happen. Proud countries with leaders who own dangerous toys will move if not engaged. Foreign policy schizophrenia doesn't work either. If threatened, leaders will react out of anger, insult and even fear. Pick one. However, the results are still the same. Bush has failed utterly and completely, with the American foreign policy free fall now complete.
At Americablog.com, AJ, described as a former intelligence office at the US department of defence, castigates the Bush administration, for "alternately mismanaging and ignoring the North Korea situation".
AJ says:
President Bush claimed he would not tolerate a nuclear North Korea, but he has done worse than that: he ignored the threat of North Korea as it expanded its nuclear arsenal, and was unable to offer the appropriate carrots and sticks to prevent this hugely destabilising event. Shameful.
