mf_dolphin wrote:The real direct threat that North Korea posses is to South Korea and Japan. The indirect threat is that North Korea will export nuclear weapons to other countries. The implied threat of North Korea sending nuclear missiles to the USA is more of a percieved threat than an actual one. Any launch against the US would result in North Korea ceasing to exist. If China wanted North Korea to have nuclear weapons they would have given them some years ago.
The biggest danger IMO is if we lose our cool and strike first. That would give North Korea the excuse to start a real war. While we have troops station in South Korea they are there really only as a deterrent. With the size of the N. Korean Army they would be quickly overrun just as they were in the 50's. Right now N. Korean is contained and we need to keep it that way.
Marshall,
While I respect your point of view,I will kindly disagree with a portion of you response.It is obvious that the imminent threat is to S Korea and Japan.I allusded to this fact in my opening remarks,ie:Desatabilization of our Pacific Rim Allies.Some back East may not be familiar with the term Pacific Rim.It is commonly used out here.My apologies if I made myself unclear.Furthermore,an 'Implied Threat',is indeed incorrect.The threat was openly made by the NKorens...when the Anti Ship Missile was fired while Colin Powell was in S Korea recently..this on the heels,of N Korea making overtures to the fact that they indeed have the capability to launch short/Med/Long Range ICBMs. The insult was the test firing.
ALL Nuke Exchange conflagrations are of course percieved,except for the Hiroshima/Nagasaki point of historical fusion of mass fear,globally of any further use of such WMD.Hence..USSR and the USA had a 'MAMD'(Mutally Assured Mass Destruction')'understanding after the Cuban Missile Crisis in the Fall of 1962.At the time,it was an 'Elite Club' of Nations that even had 'The Bomb' and we could effectively deal with those that did,and we knew who they were.Now..it is different.Pakistan,India,N Korea have Nukes capable with Missile technology and hardware to deliver.I am not talking Tactical Nukes,or even Dirty Bombs.I am talking major Megatonnage.
This is why JFK could not allow a Communist puppet nation in financial ruins(Cuba)the loaded Silos from the Russkies,just 90nm from Key West,Fla. It was to be a sort of surrogate war with theUSA/ USSR via a Satellite Communist Island Nation.
How was that percieved?Cuba didnt even have the missiles yet,as they were aboard Russkie Frieghters headed inbound..hence the standoff when 2 Sea Captains kept Mutually Assured Mass Destruction withinn the context of thier breif tet au tet.Thankfully,the game of Chicken ended with the Russkie Skipper turning tail.WE WERE THAT CLOSE TO A THERMONUCLEAR EXCHANGE.I know,I remember.
JFK took it seriously.The Test Firings,the ships,the unstable poor Nation used as a way point for our destruction.He took seriously,OUR safety.'Civil Defense' on Mass Media was very new and deployed efficiently and with great skill.NORAD took it seriously.China took it seriously,as they were at the time,afraid of an unstable meglamaniac in Nakita Kruchev.They had good reason.Now,those Cuban Silos.How many?
At least 30.And to which targets?Mainly,due to the tecnology of that time,to deliver within an accurate Ground-Zero Kill Zone,the Entire East Coast,including BOX,NYC,WASH,BALTO,CHAR/NORFOLK/ATL/JAX/MIA/MSY(New Orleans)/Pensacola/Biloxi/HOU,GALV/and possibly Dallas/to the Middle West/Near East.BUFF/CLE/DTW(DET)/ORD(CHI)Minn/StPaul/CVG(Cincy)/STL/KC..and Omaha,which was our main Natl Defense Communications Center.
Any cities west of that region were considered at a lower risk factor for accuracy,albeit they were tagged as targets.Remeber,the Cubans were to have Short/Med Range Missles only.Enough to create havoc and destroy us in theory.Then,there was Red China aiming thier ICBMs at us.Interesting.Can one draw any parallels here?Could present day N Korea be a surrogate for Comm Mainland China,somewhat like 1962 Cuba,in their isolation and degraded economic position.Is the relationship fully understood?Is N Korea a Nuke Superpower on China's level.Regarding the last point,which was directed at your supposition,certainly not.Therefore,they are no threat to mainland China,rather an ally.Furthermore,before I take leave of the Korean portion of this discussion,it is S Korea that is asking for our help,and rightly so.N Korea just re-fired thier Nuke plant and brought it online within the past 72hrs.This is alarming.Perceived?No.It is fact.Do we have adequate forces to 'contain' a rogue Nation with Nukes in the Korean Theatre?No.Therefore,they are not contained,as you contend.Conversely,Iraq is,which I shall address in a moment.Also consider Alaska,Hawaii,W Canada as well as the US West Coast as 'in range'.Have you any idea of the impact of any such 'percieved' ThermoNuclear strike..or Strikes?Suppose for a moment,it is 1962 again.
NYC/BOS//D.C.
Fast forward..Fairbanks/Vancouver/Seattle/Honolulu(Pearl)/SEA/PDX/SFO/LAX/SAN/LAS/PHX/TUS/ABQ/DEN
Percieved?Obviously not to Washington,DC...nor to the East Coast.
Supposing those Missiles were pointed at you...as they were at MIA in 1962?Percieved.Interesting.
Iraq is isolated,her neighbors calling now for Saddams ouster or fleeing.Surrounded by a huge US Military,one that rendered them impotent after the 1991 War...N Korea is not surrounded.Nor are they impotent.Nor is thier leader sane.Nor is any ally of thiers calling for ouster or fleeing.Nor does he supposedly want Nukes..he HAS them...NOW.
I know..its easy to fight a pipsqueak.However,the threat is Al Qaeda,then N Korea...then the Phillipines..not Iraq.Where is our National Security headed if we cannot defend ourselves and our allies in REAL trouble?Where is the focus?What may be the consequence of such a blunder?What of our safety?What of our loss of control in the World if we allowed NKorea to propogate such a War due to our remiss duties?What of our Foreign Policy after we attack Iraq?BTW,I did not say that we should not have cool heads..we should,just as the US and Russkie Skippers did.Of course then,we also had President that knew a CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER when he saw it.He could also Walk and Chew Gum at the same time.I wish I could say as much for Mr Bush.
That is how I 'percieve' it.
Garrett 
my Cowboys 
