Apparently, Clinton thinks North Korea is a bigger threat than Iraq right now (quite possibly true. Hell, Israel is probably a bigger threat to peace than Iraq). However, he's a big hypocrite with one of the worst human rights records in modern history, so I suppose I'd take his advice on foreign policy like I'd take advice about driving from a drunken man from the Renaissance that got sent to the future...

Essentially, his logic is that they pose a much greater threat to the security of the world, which might actually be true. However, he doesn't think that the doctrine of pre-emptive war would be effective here because, well, this country can actually defend itself and an invasion would likely piss them off and then North Korea might actually invade South Korea, making everything even worse. While he says the doctrine of preemtive war is "laudable in principle," he doesn't like it in practice. Well, that's a no-brainer. Any unnecessary military invention tends to escalate the violence. Obviously, invading a country with guns ablazing is a bad idea when it puts many civilians at risk in a politically unstable region that is devastated by years of economic sanctions. I'd think Clinton would have learned that after two terms of experience with similar interventions.

Anyways, I think this could be a tactic to bring attention away from the horrible things happening in Iraq with the US-appointed interim government. Democracy is looking pretty grim in Iraq when one of the first things the new government does is declare its right to martial law, the election will probably occur well after the latest date the UN said it could take place, and the interim prime minister is accused of shooting six suspected insurgents in a police station with a pistol.