Quasars of Stupidity

Wow. I figured that Bush only gave in to North Korea grudgingly, but even I didn't think "the world's lone superpower" was run by someone so stupid:

The North Koreans, dependent on China for food and oil, were unhappy but ready to sign. "They said, 'Here's the text, and we're not going to change it, and we suggest you don't walk away,' " said one senior American official at the center of the debate.

Several officials, who would not allow their names to be used because they did not want to publicly discuss Mr. Bush's political challenges, noted that Mr. Bush is tied down in Iraq, consumed by Hurricane Katrina, and headed into another standoff over Iran's nuclear program. The agreement, they said, provides him with a way to forestall, at least for now, a confrontation with another member of what he once famously termed "the axis of evil."

So after two days of debates that reached from Mr. Bush's cabin in Camp David to Condoleezza Rice's suite at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York to Tokyo, Moscow and Seoul, Mr. Bush gave the go-ahead on Sunday evening, once he had returned to the White House, to signing a preliminary accord with Kim Jong Il, a leader he has said he detests.

Had he decided to let the deal fall through, participants in the talks from several countries said, China was prepared to blame the United States for missing a chance to bring a diplomatic end to the confrontation....

As this unfolded over the weekend, the Chinese increased pressure on the United States to sign - or take responsibility for a breakdown in the talks.

"At one point they told us that we were totally isolated on this and that they would go to the press," and explain that the United States sank the accord, the senior administration official said.

I knew that the Chinese were doing the heavy lifting in the 6-party talks, but this really impresses me. Pushing for US concessions as New Orleans is in ruins might seem cold-hearted to some. Indeed, I have no doubt that some conservatarian will say that the Chinese stepped over American bodies to get this deal. That kind of idiocy is inevitable.

Still, this shows a) the Chinese have a very good understanding of American (and more broadly, western) politics, and b) that once again, China is a more responsible world power than the US.

Sound overly fond of the Chinese? I'm not, but that Bush had to be forced to accept this agreement is insane. Here's the thing: This is a good deal for the US. Even North Korea's... rhetorical excesses? shouldn't be allowed to get in the way of resuming the dialogue with Pyongyang. There shouldn't even be a debate here - a war with North Korea would almost instantly kill tens of thousands of Koreans (and probably several thousand Americans in the first few days.) Avoiding war on the Korean peninsula is a no-brainer. That said, apparently even a no-brainer is too complex for Bush and company.