Bush's own words on North Korea

I pointed out on my other blog that Bush gave the money to the North Koreans agreed to in the 1994 agreed framework, but then removed any inspection requirements.

Here are his own words on the subject: (Memo below)

Memorandum to the Secretary of State
Presidential Determination No. 2002-12
April 1, 2002

SUBJECT: U.S. Contribution to the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization Determination Regarding Funds Under the Heading "Nonproliferation, Anti-Terrorism, Demining and Related Programs" in Title II of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2002 (public Law 107-115)

Pursuant to the authority vested in me by section 565(c) of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2002 (public Law 107-115) (the "Act"), I hereby determine that it is Vital to the national security interests of the United States to furnish Up to $95 million in funds made available under the heading "Nonproliferation, Anti-Terrorism, Demining and Related Programs" of that Act, for assistance to KEDO, and, therefore, I hereby waive the requirement in section 565(b) to certify that:

(1) the parties to the Agreed Framework have taken and continue to take demonstrable steps to implement the Joint Declaration on Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula;

(2) North Korea is complying with all provisions of the Agreed Framework; and

(3) The United States is continuing to make significant progress on eliminating the North Korean ballistic missile threat, including further missile tests and its ballistic missile exports.

You are hereby authorized and directed to report this determination and the accompanying Memorandum of Justification to the Congress, and to arrange for publication of this determination in the Federal Register.

GEORGE W. BUSH

So, as the Bushies run around blaming Clinton (as they will) for the next week, remember that Bush gave Kim Jong Il money three months after saying the nation was a member of the "Axis of Evil", then walked away, his fingers in his ears.

•  It wasn't only Bush who screwed the pooch.

  The Republicans started fucking up the "Clinton Deal" from the get-go.

  The 1994 Framework Agreement with North Korea required the US to pay for construction of light-water power reactors in North Korea, among other items intended to assist North Korea with their desperate energy needs.  It was designed to enable North Korea to take offline and mothball its existing nuclear reactors that produced by-products that could be turned into weapons-grade materials.  It was designed to prevent North Korea from developing nuclear weapons.

  The appropriations measures for these items were killed time-and-again from '94 through 2000 by the Republican-controlled Congress, guaranteeing that the US would fail to uphold its end of the bargain and virtually nullifying the agreement even before Bush took office.  

  Many of the Republicans who fucked this up still serve in Congress today and are up for re-election in 30 days.  Undoubtedly, most of them will be attempting to leverage this incident to again indict Clinton, diplomatic approaches in general and  - Democrats for being "appeasers" and soft on national security.

  Democrats need to turn this back on Republicans with a simple narrative:

     * In 1994, the United States struck a bargain with North Korea, approved by Congress, that was intended to prevent North Korea from developing nuclear weapons.
     * This bargain required the United States to spend a relatively small amount of money on supplying North Korea's energy needs.
     * Republicans in Congress from 1994 throuh 2000 killed every attempt to appropriate the funds for those expenditures.
     * Republicans in Congress ensured that we would fail to uphold our end of the bargain.  Republicans in Congress made certain that this diplomatic approach intended to prevent North Korea from developing nuclear weapons would never be given a chance to succeed.  
     * Republicans in Congress destroyed our credibility, our reputation for living up to our agreements and obligations.  
     * Republicans in Congress virtually guaranteed that North Korea would develop nuclear weapons and that the world would confront the extremely dangerous situation that we find ourselves in today.
     * Many of those Republicans still serve in Congress.
     * (where appropriate)  My opponent in this election is one of those Republicans.

  by sxwarren on Mon Oct 09, 2006 at 11:05:19 AM PDT