The Marmot’s Hole

You’ve gotta give former Korean President Kim Dae-jung credit — unlike the current occupant of Cheong Wa Dae, he always knew how to talk to — or at least bullshit — the Americans. Like this beauty:

Former president Kim Dae-jung said Tuesday that South Korea, the United States and international organizations need to invest in North Korea to attain a balance against China.
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“Once the North Korean nuclear crisis resolved, international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and Asia Development Bank, enterprises of the United States and the Western world should advance into North Korea together with South Korea,” he said in a speech to a gathering here organized by Korea Society, a New York-based non-profit group dedicated to the promotion of the South Korea-U.S. relationship.

“I believe we should expedite our entry into North Korea so as to attain balance against China,” he said. “China is extensively involved in the North Korean economy.”

See, President Roh, that’s how it’s done — take advantage of US paranoia about China. Embrace it.

Kim didn’t make it clear why it would be in the US interest to lighten China’s economic and political burden of propping of the North Korean regime. The US has enough douche bag friends as it is — Pakistan and Saudi Arabia come immediately to mind. It certainly doesn’t need any more. In fact, I view China flushing perfectly good money down North Korean and Burmese toilets as a net positive for Washington. No reason to screw that up, I should think.

PS: Expect to see this line, i.e., “Even if you hate ‘em, you got to play with them to counter the Chinese,” being used frequently should GNP candidate Lee Myung-bak get himself elected in December.