Okay, I've got to be quick with this one, but I just have to say that the world is full of idiots -- especially at the leadership level.

Do they really think that North Korea cares about their anger and judgement?  Really? 

North Korea is a communist state.  They understand that fear is the emotion that rules over all others.  They don't give a rat's ass what the rest of the world thinks of them.  (Let's give them a little credit for that bit of maturity.)  And they have no moral sensitivity to what their bombs may do to the rest of us.  They have the big stick, people, they don't have to care what we think. 

For thousands of years, people have understood that no one bothers the strong man on the block.  Yeah, they might taunt a little, but they really never mess with someone who can pound them into the sidewalk.  That's where we are with N. Korea.  They understand the basic principle of strength equals power.  Americans and Europeans want - more than anything they want - to believe that brains and understanding and sensitivity are the things that speak to others.  But when it comes down to it, the ability to kick ass is what wins out every time. 

The old quote about Sam Colt comes to mind: "God made all men, and Sam Colt made them equal."  For North Korea, having nuclear power is all about keeping things equal.  No, it's more than that.  They just made themselves the strong guy on the block. 

It makes me miss Ronald Reagan.  As I see it, he won the cold war by bankrupting the Soviet Union in an arms race.  Yeah, he used a lot of good old talking too.  But words mean nothing when you're the underdog.  Remember David and Goliath?  Little, average farmer boy? He was the laughing stock of the Philistine army until he took out their ten foot hero.  But I haven't seen the guts of David around, and Reagan is long lost too.  Who will stand up to the big bullies now?  Maybe Hillary can give them a button to push when they're feeling antsy.

I'm just afraid that in our world of special-order menus for terrorists, no one has the balls to carry a big stick anymore.  Can you say "comrade?"