High Masculine Tones

Fear not -- moral clarity is on the way.

. . . in private, several of Mr. Bush's advisers say the North Korean crisis has complicated their diplomatic task at the United Nations. So has Mr. Bush's determination that a pre-emptive strike on North Korea is not viable even if Mr. Kim is only months away from adding to his nuclear arsenal, the advisers say.

"We will be facing considerable skepticism on the question of how we can justify confrontation with Saddam when he is letting inspectors into the country, and a diplomatic solution with Kim when he's just thrown them out," one senior diplomat acknowledged today. "And we're working on the answer."

::David E. Sanger, NY Times: Bush Plays Down Rift With Allies Over U.S. Stance on North Korea via Grady at Warblogger Watch