Pudgy blinks.

Diplomacy can be a strange production.

There are certain things you see and hear... or don't see and hear... that simply scream... one way or the other.

A few days ago, North Korea suddenly got quiet.  Almost like a black hole quiet.

No missile launches, no threats.

When I discussed the only options I could think of a few days back, Option #3 was simple enough:

Option 3:  Sit down with the Chinese and lay out the facts of life - control this psycho or we will.

The Chinese may see the wisdom of this possibility.  War is bad for business for these people when it comes to the issue of trade, and they'd lose face if they failed to control their most dependent client state only to have us do it for them.

This outcome smacks of that.

Everybody stopped talking in public.  Over a short period of time, the amplifier got turned off. With the movement of B1's to Guam and the constant overflights demonstrating air superiority, it looks like the NorK Pillsbury Doughboy wised up.

The problem, of course, is that if Kim has backed down... he's only done it THIS time.

What about NEXT time?

This situation doesn't resolve anything.  It fixes nothing.  Their nuke program continues, the same nutjob is in charge, the situation is the same mess Obama left it.

So, what all was accomplished?

Push came to shove and we didn't appear to back down.  But what's changed, really?

Nothing I can see.  And that's too bad.  Because sooner or later... someone is going to have to take that idiot out.  And it's better to do that when we WANT to... than it is to do it when we HAVE to.