Moderates, Nukes and common sense

As we begin to deal with a nuclear North Korea it’s time to talk to our friends, neighbors and anyone who will listen about where we “moderate” conservatives stand on security and foreign policy.

We are not doves and seek no short cuts on the road to a secure nation and world; rather we stand horrified at the prospect of Kim Jong Il buying another Ferrari or expanding his porn collection via the sales of nuclear materials or weapons. We should also express our unqualified support for Senator McCain’s stern rebuke of leading democrats attempting to blame the current administration for a nuclear program that had its gestational period under a previous administration.

Clearly President Bush needs to provide the leadership. However, when Harry Reid, within 12 hours of the assumed nuclear test, starts flogging away on our president it takes little imagination to see why an unnamed DPRK official starts hinting at a nuclear attack on the United States. Let me repeat that, as it seems to be largely overlooked or scoffed at: North Korea has implied they are willing to attack the U.S. with a nuclear tipped missile. Whether or not the threat is credible is not the point; clearly North Korea poses no real military threat directly to our nation. But it shows a mindset where one can imagine the sale of a small yield nuclear device to someone who could do substantial damage in any American city.

We must stand behind this or any future President who tells North Korea that the United States will not tolerate any form of nuclear terror, blackmail or even continued threats. We should also support our President in his affirmation of our commitment to military and security treaties with our Asian-Pacific rim partners.