ANOTHER JOKE CONTINUES - AT 9:23 A.M. ET:  North Korea, not to be outdone by its Iranian counterpart in crime, greets the awarding of the Nobel Prize to President Obama in its usual, warm way:

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- North Korea fired five short-range missiles off its east coast on Monday, a news report said, even as South Korea proposed working-level talks with its communist neighbor.

Yonhap news agency, citing an unidentified South Korean government official, said the North test-fired the missiles on Monday afternoon from its eastern coastal launch pad.

Yonhap said the North has issued a no-sail zone in an area off the east coast Oct. 10-20 -- an apparent indication it was planning missile tests.

COMMENT:  We've made about as much progress with North Korea as we have with Iran, but nothing much is being done about it. 

What we see, with Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, the continuing conflict in Iraq, Venezuela, increased tensions with Russia, and a recalcitrant China, is a steady buildup of crises for President Obama.  So far, he's batting zero in all of them. 

October 12, 2009