NYT: Bush and Rice "wanted a deal" with North Korea, may have bypassed Cheney

[sabra]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/16/washington/16korea.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

<snip>

State Department negotiators almost never dealt with the North Koreans without officials from the Defense Department and the vice president’s office coming along, and reporting back. In one instance, Mr. Cheney stepped into the Oval Office to put an end to a discussion under way in Beijing, when he feared an agreement setting out steps for resolving the nuclear standoff lacked the tough language on disarmament that he believed Mr. Bush wanted. Colin L. Powell, then the secretary of state, learned of the decision after a black-tie dinner.

...

“What’s different this time is that it is clear that both the president and Condi wanted a deal,” said an official peripherally involved in the debate. Several officials acknowledge that as the Bush presidency enters its final years, two foreign policy goals have risen higher on the agenda: peace between the Israelis and Palestinians and disarming North Korea.

Others said that the rapidly shifting terrain beneath the negotiations allowed Ms. Rice to press her case with Mr. Hadley and directly to the president. Another senior administration official said that the North Korean response to Mr. Hill in Berlin was circulated, but on a “relatively limited” basis as it was one of the most delicate national security issues facing the Bush administration.

[rodeodance]

1. BBC said that Condi told Bush he needed a Foreign Policy Success, so

they caved.

[kurth]

2. Uncle Dick is gonna can them now

[CrazyOrangeCat]

9. he's acting so batshit crazy . . .

. . . he may just ventilate them, like he did his lawyer friend.

[dysfunctional press]

3. if he starts crossing cheney, * is going to outlive his usefulness VERY quickly...

it's never a good idea to go behind the boss's back.

[az chela]

8. And since when did bush become the boss???

[dysfunctional press]

11. comprehension doesn't appear to be your strong suit...

try reading it again.

[alfredo]

4. You never win when you bargain from a position of weakness.

We were a much stronger nation before bush ascended to the throne.

[Canuckistanian]

5. Hmmm, Bolton was quite agitated about this....

And Bolton doesn't um... sneeze without permission from Darth Vaney.

More trouble brewing?

[Marr]

6. LMAO- Bush has to "bypass" his own VP. What a pathetic man-boy.

[youngdem]

7. These fuckers are pathetic....Let's repackage the Clinton Doctrine

of dealing with North Korea, and call it our own, but only after our own belligerent policies armed North Korea with the very weapon we were intent on preventing.

Nice job, numbnuts!

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

10. And, then immediately turn around and say we won't negotiate with Iran because nothing would come of

it.

They're spinning, spinning, spinning. MKJ