North Korean diplomats are meeting with the governor of New Mexico to discuss what happens next in our ongoing standoff. The governor happens to be Bill Richardson, a former Clinton administration official who successfully negotiated the return of an American helicopter pilot with the North Koreans in 1994. I’m not sure whether this is embarrassing for the Bush administration or not, but given that it was the North Koreans who asked to meet with Richardson, it certainly seems like they’re out to embarrass the Bush administration. I think the gravity of the situation is apparent given that the Bush administration actually went for it. What’s next, Saddam Hussein asking to meet with the mayor of Dallas?

Oh, and now North Korea has ditched the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. They’re the first country, out of 187 that ratified it, to dump the treaty. They’re playing chicken with the United States, and they’re winning.