NORTH KOREA THREATENS - AT 10:39 A.M. ET:  I guess the effects of Bill Clinton's visit have worn off:

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea followed recent conciliatory gestures toward the U.S. and South Korea with a return to threats Sunday, warning them of "merciless retaliation" over sanctions imposed on its government, and nuclear attacks in response to any atomic provocation.

Seoul and Washington will kick off annual computer-simulated war games Monday, which North Korea sees as preparation for an invasion. The U.S. and South Korea say the maneuvers are purely defensive.

"Should the U.S. imperialists and (South Korean government) threaten the (North) with nukes, it will retaliate against them with nukes," North Korea's military said in a statement reported Sunday by the country's official Korean Central News Agency.

COMMENT:  We are getting nowhere with North Korea, and the story just below shows just how concerned our allies are.  Once again the Obama policy of "engagement" seems aimless, with no achievable objectives.  The scheduled US/Washington war games are routine.  What we're hearing from North Korea is its true voice. 

The president is already in trouble on domestic policy.  His foreign policy seems headed for oblivion very quickly.  Where will he be on January 20th, his first anniversary in office?  We don't make predictions here, but Mr. Obama's first year is shaping up to be as unsuccessful as Jack Kennedy's.  Kennedy turned his presidency around in his second year, but he didn't have the burden of left-wing ideology that Obama carries.

August 16, 2009