U.S. defense chief says North Korea "serious threat"

[Dover]

Source: Reuters

SEOUL (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta branded North Korea a "serious threat" on Wednesday, as the U.S. military cast a cautious eye on diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang that it fears could be short-lived.

The United States and North Korea appear to be inching toward a resumption of six-party talks aiming to wean the North of its nuclear programs. Envoys from Pyongyang and Washington met in Geneva this week.

...//...


"I come here because in many ways this is the front line," Panetta said, addressing several hundred U.S. and South Korean forces in Seoul.

A senior U.S. defense official, briefing reporters traveling with Panetta, said that it was important that military preparations be "aligned with where things are in the diplomatic process" given the cyclical nature of ties.



Read more: http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCATRE79P2LH20111026

[DJ13]

1. As Iraq winds down the MIC looks desperately for a new adversary

[L0oniX]

14. +1

[FiveGoodMen]

19. We have ALWAYS been at war with North Korea.

[DURHAM D]

2. oh gheez...

That is so last century.

[valerief]

3. North Korea: the New Iraq or Where Can We Piss Away Tax Dollars? nt

[KansDem]

4. So was Iran--

But that didn't stop the Koch Bros from doing business with them...

So was Iraq--
But that didn't stop Halliburton from doing business with them...

So what's the point?

[FlyByNight]

5. Everything looks like a "threat"...

...when one is desperately trying to maintain an empire.

:puke:

[Dover]

7. + 1000...n/t

[monmouth]

6. Dare to mention a possible dent in his budget and off to war he thinks about..Yuck....n/t

[Dover]

9. Gee...I wonder where those 'lost' trillions in the Pentagon went...

not to mention the booty stolen from Iraq?

[red dog 1]

28. K & R

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/01/29/eveningnews/main3259/

[bowens43]

8. bullshit. n t

[OKDem08]

10. jesus christ...the empire views all as potential enemies n/t

[montanacowboy]

11. Leon Panetta is a Serious Threat

This guy has to be one of the dumbest sob's to run the Pentagon. He needs to just stfu. What an embarassment.

[sakabatou]

12. We have always been at war with Eurasia...

[Hugabear]

13. Hugabear says United States "serious threat"

After all, much of the military action around the world over the past few decades has been instigated by the US.

[L0oniX]

15. Defence / offence ...what's the dif? ...only the word.

[dixiegrrrrl]

16. And as the troops departing from Iraq pack their bags, they can see the handwriting on the wall.

[bongbong]

17. Serious Threat?

"Axis Of Evil" had already been used as an advertising slogan.

"An Entire World Of Evil" was tried but failed with the test marketing group.

[Gregorian]

18. Translation: FEED ME!

C5-A transports can't just sit on the tarmac. Give us a war.

[Solly Mack]

20. Axis of evil and all that...

Oh wait...that was Bush...right? right?

[FiveGoodMen]

22. Now it's Bush 2.0

[swilton]

21. When all you have is a hammer...

everything looks like a nail.

[blackspade]

23. Panetta is full of shit.

A serious threat? In what way?

[ratsrats]

24. Of course

They need someone to go after now that Libya and Iraq are off the table.

[sarcasmo]

25. The Empire always needs an enemy. Trillion here, a Trillion there, here a Trillion there

a Trillion, every where but Social Security a Trillion.

[FiveGoodMen]

30. Hey, a trillion here and a trillion there... before you know it, that adds up to real money!

[fascisthunter]

26. I think the US is a threat to the World

with psychopaths running our government and military.

[provis99]

27. North Korea was smart enough to build nuclear weapons,

so we won't be invading anytime soon. Qaddaffi and Saddam Hussein are proof of what happens when you admit you have no nukes.

[red dog 1]

29. Given the Cyclical Nature of Ties ...or the Cyclical Nature of Lies?

"A senior U.S. defense official, briefing reporters traveling with Panetta, said that it was important that military preparations be 'aligned with where things are in the diplomatic process' given the cyclical nature of ties".

Great way "to be inching toward a resumption of six-party talks aiming to wean the North of it's nuclear programs". (Envoys from Pyongyang and Washington met in Geneva this week)

Calling North Korea a "serious threat" right before new six-party talks are to begin makes one wonder whether the U.S. even wants the new talks to succeed; because Panetta sure as hell didn't make that "North Korea is a serious threat" comment without prior approval by "Chief Broken Promise"!

[jmowreader]

31. There is no way the US will ever invade North Korea

They only have three commodities, and they have them in abundance, but you can't sell poverty, famine and despair. Because they have no significant oil, and any oil they DID have would certainly be economically unrecoverable, Halliburton doesn't want the country.

The real worry is that the North Koreans aren't stupid. They look south and notice the Republic of Korea has plenty of food, clothes, fuel and consumer goods and a definite shortage of poverty, famine and despair, and think all they need do to solve their problems is to go to South Korea.

The more desperate the situation gets in North Korea, the more likely it is that one of two things will happen. The first is a full-scale invasion of South Korea. This won't happen until March--in March, the snow is mostly gone but the Han River is still frozen hard enough to drive tanks across. The other, which I expect to happen instead of a miiitary invasion, is the border command will "ignore" people swimming the Han to get to where the food is. South Korea is prosperous, but not prosperous enough to feed, train and employ half the population of North Korea.

[ellisonz]

32. Way to build up their ego, Panetta.