The North Koreans had been cheating on the 1994 agreement for years before Bush made the speech. They'd been starving and repressing their people for years before he made the speech. Bush was simply stating the brutal truth - the North Korean government IS evil to its core. I honestly don't think the speech changed anything.

Will they try something when we go into Iraq? Maybe. They're so freaking nuts that they just might try. However, while everyone knows about the 37,000 American military personnel in South Korea, they often overlook the 600,000 strong South Korean military. The ROKs (Republic of Korea) troops are tough, well disciplined, have far better equipment, and are better trained than the North. From news reports, we've already forward deployed B-52s in Guam should they try something.

In no way am I suggesting that another war in Korea would be easy. The North is said to have hundreds, perhaps thousands, of artillery pieces in place capable of hitting Seoul. They could kill thousands of innocent people in minutes.

I believe the increasing shrill rhetoric out of the North is a desperate plea for bilateral discussions. But what's the point of holding discussions when they've broken their past agreements? Besides, there's a lot more at stake than just the US and North Korea. The Chinese, Japanese, and especially the South Koreans have a stake in all this. Any discussions should involve them, too.