Clinton Works The Phones On North Korea

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is working to build international consensus on condemning North Korea's missile launch. Her effort comes ahead of an emergency U.N. Security Council session Sunday afternoon.

Clinton is now traveling in Europe with President Barack Obama. She spoke by phone on Sunday with the foreign ministers of China, Japan and Russia _ three key countries in talks aimed at getting North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons.

China and Russia are also permanent, veto-wielding members of the Security Council.

The U.S. says the North's launch of what it claimed to be a satellite violates an existing U.N. bar on ballistic missile activity by the communist state. The launch appears to have failed to reach orbit.

Comments

[Shavano]

01:25 AM on 04/06/2009

I'm proud of the U.S. response for a change. No over-reaction, but the absolute ability to bring that missile down if necessary. NORCOM certified that it wasn't a threat and that it didn't even put a payload into space. It would have been so special just to shoot it down, but cooler heads prevailed. I really am getting to like Obama more and more. Let's use the UN to put some pressure on them and go to the tables being willing to let them know that we absolutely know about their failure but were restrained in our response.
Moreover, we can prove they didn't put anything into orbit. What we do know is that we need a U.N. resolution to punish North Korea. Short of that, we'll shoot down any effort that looks to succeed in the future.

[jordan3189]

12:35 AM on 04/06/2009

Blind leading the blind.

[Dustee]

12:49 AM on 04/06/2009

That was the last 8 years. Weren't you here to witness it or did you turn a blind eye.

[TJCole]

07:55 PM on 04/05/2009

I'm tellin you, Hillary will be one of the best Secretaries of War, we've ever had..!

[8isEnoughPeriod]

10:10 PM on 04/05/2009

Shame on you!
It's not even funny.

[carnelld]

07:52 PM on 04/05/2009

The smart thing to do would be to leave North korea alone.

Leave those people alone. They are not our children.

[8isEnoughPeriod]

10:13 PM on 04/05/2009

Oh yeah?
Until they develop a missile that can hit YOUR home town and then demand that we hand over South Korea or they'll hit your city?

[LeeCalif]

11:43 PM on 04/05/2009

8 -
How do you come up with your stagename(s) ?

[partyofone]

05:03 PM on 04/05/2009

Maybe Hillary should just send Kim Jong il one of those BIG RED "reset "buttons she gave to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with an inscription that says "No No No". Hillary's brand of cute may be just whats needed to defuse this class of international wills.

[partyofone]

05:09 PM on 04/05/2009

oops "clash* of international wills"

[67yrolfe]

04:40 PM on 04/05/2009

“Clinton Works the Phones to Build Consensus on North Korea”>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Although, I doubt that anything can or will be accomplished internationally at this time involving North Korea; I’m glad that she is making the effort. Perhaps Madam Secretary could use her diplomatic skills on the domestic home front by phoning her friend and ardent supporter, Senator Evan Bayh to persuade him to at least pretend he’s a Democrat?

[ibsteve2u]

04:44 PM on 04/05/2009

lolllll....sad, that I see you say "pretend he's a Democrat", and start laughing because I know EXACTLY what you mean and why you cynicism came into being.

My, there are a lot of elected "Democrats" who forget to pretend all too often...

[ibsteve2u]

04:13 PM on 04/05/2009

Gee, Hillary - just have Wal*Mart pay ya back for all that you and Bill have done for them by having Wal*Mart tell the Chinese that they will stop sourcing from China unless China smack Kim Jong Il back into reality.

It seems like America should get SOMETHING for all of our lost jobs, dontcha think?

[ibsteve2u]

04:26 PM on 04/05/2009

I.e., 我摩擦了您的后面，现在您磨擦矿。

[ibsteve2u]

04:27 PM on 04/05/2009

lolll...appears that even simplified Chinese doesn't display so well.

[chavo]

01:57 PM on 04/05/2009

Not much can be done. North Korea won't be deterred by more sanctions, and China would never allow any form of military action to be taken. So they'll likely impose more sanctions on North Korea that won't matter since North Korea gets their food, supplies, and money from China anyway.

[kid5rivers2]

04:14 PM on 04/05/2009

What if your premises are wrong?

[chavo]

09:10 PM on 04/05/2009

Well I'd be surprised if they were. It's all ready anticipated China will veto any resolution. So that definitely takes any military action off the table since in that case both China and Russia would veto that. I don't know what else could possibly be done but more sanctions imposed on them...which is the equivalent of a slap on the wrist to this regime.

[DrMJG]

12:50 PM on 04/05/2009

How do you feel about the Obama approach (though as he said in Prague on Sunday, it may take a generation do accomplish). He gaol is not only to halt proliferation of nukes BUT the eliminatioon of them in countries that have them?

Yes, the devil is in the details but why not move with some resolve toward that goal. Then, your point, Oliver, becomes moot.

Rather that just sarcastic retorts, how would you suggest Obama proceed?

[OliverTwist]

12:25 PM on 04/05/2009

(Begin sarcasm.)

The world runs by our rules and those who forget it must be punished.

It is fine for the US and European nations and Israel and India and other approved entities to have nuclear weapons and long range delivery capabilities.

It is fine for the major powers to have to have nuclear weapons equipped boomer subs that can single handedly wipe out all life within nations.

It is fine for Japan to have nuclear capabilities and to launch satellites into space.

It is even fine when approved companies have nuclear and satellite launch capabilities.

It is also fine for approved countries to maintain substantial military forces around the world and to use them to wage wars.

And so on.

But it is provacative for a non approved entity to even consider developing any capability to project any real power or even to deter any agression.

Unacceptable.

Penalties must be imposed.

(End sarcasm.)

[ThomasMc]

11:44 AM on 04/05/2009

Yet when Israel threatens its neighbors with nuclear anhilation, nobody says a word.

[canobserv]

01:09 PM on 04/05/2009

good point

[jteamaz]

02:51 PM on 04/05/2009

I was wondering how long it would be before someone brought up that inconsistency, or should I say "hypocrisy."

[BethA]

01:23 PM on 04/05/2009

When did Israel threaten nuclear annihilation? Don't they just like to start conventional wars with their neighbors every few years and in between keep the populations isolated and doing without the same food, shelter and health care the Israeli's citizens enjoy?