French Claim NK Nuke Test Failed: Meanwhile The Blame Game Continues

The AP is reporting that France is claiming the North Korea Nuke test was a failure.

France said outright for the first time Wednesday that North Korea's proclaimed nuclear test produced such a small blast that it must have failed, and analysts warned such challenging talk could lead Pyongyang to try again.

Now, many on both ends of the spectrum are not completely understanding that this is a sticky issue. As usual, both ends are pointing fingers at each other, ad nauseum. But if we stop and think about it for a minute, it really doesn't matter. This is not going to bring about a resolution to this.

What makes this so sticky is illustrated, by the snippet I cite from the article. France made their findings public and critics have a valid point. The point being, saying that they know the test was a dud, may incite them to try again. One cannot argue with this rationale, especially knowing how erratic this guy can be.

But there is another side to this argument that those same critics must also understand. It is critical that governments speak to their people frankly to dispel fears when necessary, and only if that be the truth. By not informing the public, there is that chance that fear and panic could set in, and affect a lot of things that could cause more problems than what we already have.

Sometimes you have to weigh this thing out, there is no cut and dried right answer here. If nothing was said (by anyone that knew) and people were to go into a panic, what kind of anger would that provoke? How upset would that make you, if you found out the government knew something that could alleviate your fears in the face of a real and present danger, and they didn't tell you?

The bottom line here is this, it matters not that the French went public with this information. Kim Jung Il is going to do what he wants to do, at least until countries like China and Russia get tough with him. They desperately need to communicate the fact that if they continue to threaten the US, Japan, and South Koreans, it will be a serious mistake.

The Chinese and the Russians have to understand that by letting this go on, it will disturb the world markets everywhere, eventually. That means that both nations will suffer, as well. Doing nothing is only going to reinforce the behavior.

In this country, finger pointing will not work either. The right is blaming Clinton for allowing Kim to blackmail the United States. The left is blaming Bush for not adhering to the deal. Clinton and Carter worked out a deal in good faith, Kim reneged on his part of the deal (plain and simple). Bush is not Clinton nor Carter, and is choosing not to allow Kim to blackmail us.

The person(s) to blame here is (are) not Bush, not Clinton, and not Carter. Kim Jong Il is the person to blame. But since it's an election year, the finger pointing is rampant. It's time to stop the petty childish blame game and move towards a solution. Instead of tearing down, it's time to put some heads together and come up with some real options.