The North Koreans are crazy bastards.

North Korea will return to the six-party talks, but only if Secretary Rice retracts her "outpost of tyranny" comment and apologizes.

Uh huh.

Mr. Kim is completely bizarre. I was watching a History channel biography of Caligula today, and was struck by certain similarities in their character. Long story short, Caligula was freakin crazy, enjoyed torture, was completely decadent amidst starvation, and told anyone who would listen that he was a god. I imagine he stopped believeing it after his personal guards stabbed him 30 times, burned his body, and them chucked him into a hastily dug, shallow grave.

He did not rise again three days later. Different guy.

Makes me long for the good 'ol days when crazy-ass leaders were brutally killed if their idiosyncratic whimsies began to destroy their country. Kids today. I blame it on the hip-hop music not being violent enough.

Problem: the N. Korean leadership is bolstered by the Chinese because of the Chinese fear of millions of starving immigrants flooding into China that would certainly result from a collapse of the N.K. regime.

Solution: encourage S. Korea and Japan to go nuclear (maybe even Taiwan too). It would take them about 20 minutes to make the leap. The announcement alone would make the Chinese need to change their collective pants. As much as the Chinese are afraid of starving migrants, they are FAR more afraid of losing their military hegemonic power over Asia.

Ask the Asian states to insist on removal of the military junta in the DPRK in exchange for a nuclear step-down. There ya go, problem solved.