War with North Korea is Inevitable, but Benefits Are to Be Had…By Some

When the Korean ‘Police Action’ ended in 1953 it ended with no more than a cease-fire. This technically means that the United States and other members of the United Nations that were involved in that conflict 53 years ago are still at ‘war’ with North Korea. The fact is it has been a cold war that is just beginning to thaw and heat up. Besides the obvious fact that a new war will lead to countless deaths and probably make the region more unstable than it already is, it will also be beneficial. Of course the benefits will only be seen by those who have political motives that span the next ten years.

President Bush and the Republicans are going into a tough midterm election fight and could benefit from a malicious action from Kim Jong IL. Think in terms of what happened on September 11, 2001. President Bush was in what could only be called a weak presidency. He was elected only by an electoral majority, not a popular majority, which led many to dub him an illegitimate president. What was worse was that elected officials were just beginning to put their election campaigns into gear for the 2002 midterm elections.

Yet, because of Bush’s standings in the ratings, Republicans did not look like they were going to be gaining any seats, which they desperately needed in the Senate after Jim Jeffords defection in April of 2001. Then September 11, 2001 came and President Bush and the Republicans became the national heroes, which is an image they were able to ride into the 2002 midterm elections, which therefore gave them steam to invade Iraq so President Bush could ride the hero image into his re-election campaign during the 2004 elections. I’m not saying Bush orchestrated September 11, 2001, but he did reap what sick benefits were to be had from it. The problem is that President Bush and the Republicans stretched the image too thin and now they have nothing to carry them into the midterm elections of 2006. This is probably why the White House was breathing a sigh of relief behind their seething anger after Kim Jong IL tested his missiles on Independence Day.

This gives President Bush and the Republicans the steam they need to make them look tough on foreign policy again. Plus, since they don’t want the image of warmongers going into the election, they will play the part of the diplomats and let the Japanese and the North Koreans start the shooting and will only enter after other United Nations members enter. This will definitely all happen before November 2006. The truth is I will probably vote Republican in the upcoming election because the fact is that they’re still offering more than the Democrats are offering. The Democrats could only offer appeasement to the North Koreans 12 years ago and that’s all they’re basically willing to offer now.

So yes, the continuing ‘war’ with North Korea is about to get hot again and there are benefits to be had…if you’re a politician. What could be seen as the bright side to all of this is the fact that maybe we’ll be able to leave Iraq, because while a war with North Korea would lead to instability, it won’t be as bad as Iraq.