Could Trump Reignite the Korean War?

[Dr. Keith]

Trump is discovering that, as President, everything he says matters. He can just say ********.

Evidence?

 

[Spindrift]

Trump is discovering that, as President, everything he says matters. He can just say ********.

That notion will never set in with him. He has gone his entire life saying whatever stupid thing comes to mind and he never had to deal with the repercussions. He's not going to change. If anything should be obvious from the election campaign and the first 200 days of his presidency, it's that. He is not going to change. Not now, not ever, not for anyone.

 

[fuelair]

As to igniting something , the most Trumpf is likely to do in the near future is to pick up doggy droppings, put a bunch in a paper bag and set it on fire in front of Mitch McConnell's office and then knock loudly and run!!!!!!!

 

[quadraginta]

has anyone asked South Korea what they want?

When Trump wants their opinion he'll give it to them.

 

[Spindrift]

When Trump wants their opinion he'll give it to them.

It might be easier if he had an Ambassador in place. Then again, it's only South Korea they're not a very big country. It's not like they are a major trading partner or we have a lot of US troops stationed in the country. I wonder if Trump knows that North and South Korea border each other.

 

[Elagabalus]

It might be easier if he had an Ambassador in place. Then again, it's only South Korea they're not a very big country. It's not like they are a major trading partner or we have a lot of US troops stationed in the country. I wonder if Trump knows that North and South Korea border each other.

From his bluster, I wonder if that the other narcissistic Dear Leader Kim Jong-un knows that. Guam?! Why not threaten Seoul (or the other 14 US military bases in S.K.) or Okinawa? They're a lot closer than Guam.

It would be funny if Trump tweeted something like "Guam? Kim you couldn't hit Guam with one of your ****** missiles even if you tried!"

 

[dudalb]

From his bluster, I wonder if that the other narcissistic Dear Leader Kim Jong-un knows that. Guam?! Why not threaten Seoul (or the other 14 US military bases in S.K.) or Okinawa? They're a lot closer than Guam.

It would be funny if Trump tweeted something like "Guam? Kim you couldn't hit Guam with one of your ****** missiles even if you tried!"

I think that Guam is part of the United States (and Korea and Okinawa are not)
is the reason; Kim wanted to directly threaten the United States,and his missiles don't have the range....yet....to hit Hawaii or the Continential US.

 

[Elagabalus]

I think that Guam is part of the United States (and Korea and Okinawa are not)
is the reason; Kim wanted to directly threaten the United States,and his missiles don't have the range....yet....to hit Hawaii or the Continential US.

You see, this is the reason that Narcissistic Dear Leaders need think things through. Okinawa would have been a better choice because it would reignite all the Anti-US Military feelings from the Local Japanese Peaceniks.

 

[Babbylonian]

You see, this is the reason that Narcissistic Dear Leaders need think things through. Okinawa would have been a better choice because it would reignite all the Anti-US Military feelings from the Local Japanese Peaceniks.

Only if they were past the historical enmity between Japan and Korea.

 

[Elagabalus]

Only if they were past the historical enmity between Japan and Korea.

That too! It would work on so many levels. It's obvious that Kim is not the Über-Troll he thinks he is.

 

[Craig4]

I have to disagree there. Mattis statements are pretty much in line with the way the Obama Admin talked to Korea. Totally different then Trump's rant.
And ignoring the Cracy Guy is not going to work either.
I am really annoyed on seeing a "enemy of my enemy is my friend" attitude among some Anti Trump people.

I don't know that it's a bad thing to make Lunch Box understand that when you join the Nuclear Club, the price of admission is mutually assured destruction. Limiting collateral damage goes out the window when you're talking about exchanging nukes.

 

[Craig4]

has anyone asked South Korea what they want?

Well, that's the big question isn't it. Oh to be a fly on the wall when we explain why Japan and South Korea should absorb thousands of casualties because a small percentage of our population now lives under the threat 100 percent of their populations have lived under for decades.

 

[Spindrift]

I think that Guam is part of the United States (and Korea and Okinawa are not)
is the reason; Kim wanted to directly threaten the United States,and his missiles don't have the range....yet....to hit Hawaii or the Continential US.

Do they have the accuracy to hit Guam?

 

[Minoosh]

As to igniting something , the most Trumpf is likely to do in the near future is to pick up doggy droppings, put a bunch in a paper bag and set it on fire in front of Mitch McConnell's office and then knock loudly and run!!!!!!!

Those two deserve each other.

 

[mike81]

First of all, I can't stand Trump and I think he is going about this all wrong. I do think something needs done about North Korea and it needs done pretty quickly. I know there's probably no real good easy way to do it though.

It would be nice if we could somehow send a bunch of stealth bombers and stealth fighters over to simultaneously take out every missile site, military installation, etc. Though only if we are certain there's about to be an attack by NK.

I know this is a complicated issue and that may not even be possible. How close could we get to doing something like that though?

 

[Minoosh]

It would be nice if we could somehow send a bunch of stealth bombers and stealth fighters over to simultaneously take out every missile site, military installation, etc. Though only if we are certain there's about to be an attack by NK.

I know this is a complicated issue and that may not even be possible. How close could we get to doing something like that though?

You're thinking too strategically, which unfortunately Trump does not do. You can bet China does. I wonder, what do the Chinese get out of having this bristling bit of militaristic peninsula attached to it? Why does China put up with it? Or Russia?

China is bound to have better intelligence than the U.S., not that Trump would listen to it or understand its significance, as he seems determined to cut both intelligence gathering and diplomacy off at the knees. IMO any U.S. military action should be the exact opposite of fire and fury. Cold and clinical should be the mindset. The focus should be on long-range missiles.

I don't understand something about nuclear arsenals. Countries that develop nuclear weapons are said to have nuclear programs. The revelation that NK could hit the U.S. with a warhead supposedly shows they are farther along than previously supposed. But hardware sufficient to travel thousands of miles and take out hundreds of thousands of people isn't cutting-edge technology. That genie popped out of the bottle decades ago.

I found this on a website called Classroom:
After the Cold War Where Did the Nuclear Weapons That the Soviet Union Possessed Go?

In January 2013, Russia was estimated to possess approximately 8,500 nuclear warheads, of which 1,800 were actively deployed. These figures are destined to be reduced under the terms of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, which was signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama on April 8, 2010. This treaty limits the number of operational nuclear warheads on both sides to no more than 1,550, to be achieved no later than February 2018.

I wonder what the status of this is. Since Obama helped craft it, does Trump disown it? Is the U.S. complying? Is Russia?

Could North Korea be a calculated distraction from nuclear cheating by Russia?

 

[angrysoba]

Do they have the accuracy to hit Guam?

Probably not, but this is the worrying thing. They have threatened "enveloping fire" and are now talking about firing four missiles aimed to land to the sides of the island without actually hitting it after having them fly over Japan.

With their range and accuracy they could *accidentally* hit Guam, land in Japan or hit a commercial airliner on their way through.

 

[phiwum]

Probably not, but this is the worrying thing. They have threatened "enveloping fire" and are now talking about firing four missiles aimed to land to the sides of the island without actually hitting it after having them fly over Japan.

With their range and accuracy they could *accidentally* hit Guam, land in Japan or hit a commercial airliner on their way through.

Sorry, that's their retaliation? I could see lobbing missiles near Guam as a threat, but not as a retaliation announced days in advance.

 

[angrysoba]

Sorry, that's their retaliation? I could see lobbing missiles near Guam as a threat, but not as a retaliation announced days in advance.

I don't think they are talking about retaliation but that they plan to fire the missiles anyway according to the BBC report here:

North Korea Guam missile strike plan 'ready by mid-August'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-40883372

 

[ponderingturtle]

As to igniting something , the most Trumpf is likely to do in the near future is to pick up doggy droppings, put a bunch in a paper bag and set it on fire in front of Mitch McConnell's office and then knock loudly and run!!!!!!!

You mean drive away in his golf cart. Trump never runs anywhere.