Journalistic Idiocy

North Korea's Non-Threat

by William Arkin

Can North Korea save the day and change the subject for the Bush administration?

Amidst an Iraq withdrawal debate and an Iran nuclear crisis, amidst a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan and a grave threat to the Kabul government, amidst growing recognition of al-Qaeda gains in Pakistan, The We-Still-Can't-Resist-Putting-Any-Weapons-of-Mass-Destruction-Story -on-the-Front Page Times reported intelligence leaks yesterday that North Korea was imminently going to test an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice labels it "provocative;" U.N. Ambassador John R. Bolton is consulting with the Security Council on how to respond.

Much ado about nothing I say.
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With the sanctioned leak and the suggestion of military confrontation, the Bush administration shifted to crisis mode: President Bush made anxious calls to dozens of foreign leaders. Secretary Rice warned that a launch would be a "provocative act" and a "serious matter" and one that could torpedo international efforts to control North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Missile defense advocates are popping Champagne corks.
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North Korea, which can barely feed its own people and is not, shall we say, known for its technological prowess, may have succeeded in sinking all of its national treasure into developing a third rate missile. But so what?

Arkin calls this exactly right even as the cable news channels are being played like violins and a wide-eyed Kyra Phillips gets all excited about those big, bad Korean missiles. Shameful. These supposed "newcasters" are unbelievably gullible, poorly informed, badly educated and rather stupid. You'd think somebody who spent their careers in the "news" might actually learn something about it, but it appears they are all too damned lazy.