Lil' Kim Missed the Memo About the World Loving Us Again

Funny, isn't it, how the world's dictators have become increasingly belligerent the past four months? All this yammering about hope, change and smart diplomacy is really paying off.

North Korea threatened a military response to South Korean participation in a U.S.-led program to seize weapons of mass destruction, and said it will no longer abide by the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War.

“The Korean People’s Army will not be bound to the Armistice Agreement any longer,” the official Korean Central News Agency said in a statement today. Any attempt to inspect North Korean vessels will be countered with “prompt and strong military strikes.”

South Korean President Lee Myung Bak ordered his government to take “calm” measures on the threats, his office said in a statement today. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Takeo Kawamura, echoed those remarks and called on North Korea to “refrain from taking actions that would elevate tensions in Asia.”

The threats are the strongest since North Korea tested a nuclear weapon on May 25, drawing international condemnation and the prospect of increased sanctions against the communist nation. South Korea dispatched a warship to its maritime border and is prepared to deploy aircraft, Yonhap News reported, citing military officials it didn’t identify.

The strongest threats in two days. Looks like they're not sitting around waiting for a call from Mrs. Clinton, who has mysteriously fallen off the radar in recent days.

Seems to me Lil' Kim smells weakness.

Had they not heard that Obama wants to "usher in a new era of diplomacy"?

Actually, they likely realize it all too well.

For one, Obama's fondness for talking has done much to reassure the world's bad actors that they needn't fear anything more from the US -- at least in the short run.

Plus, Iran and Korea seem to grasp the most basic rule of diplomacy: If you are going to negotiate, be sure to do it from a position of perceived strength.

Far better for America to be seen begging meekly for an audience after their show of force -- rather than the other way around.

That's something Obama needs to grasp pronto -- before the world becomes an even more combustible place.

If that's possible.

Of course some will do what Obama reflexively does and blame Bush. Good luck selling that argument to anyone outside of the leftwing blogosphere and MSNBC.

First, on the political front, North Korea's Kim Jong Il has challenged President Obama more in four months than he did President George W. Bush in eight years.

Since Obama has taken office, North Korea has kicked out UN nuclear inspectors, launched both short- and long-range missiles and tested a nuclear weapon.

It's not clear why the dictator has chosen to badger Obama, especially considering the president's promises of a kinder, gentler touch when it comes to rogues. But it's definitely not good news for Uncle Sam -- and the conclusion has to be that more provocations are coming in our direction.

The question is: When and how big will the next one be?

Well, Team Smart Diplomacy may want to look south.

Bolivia denied supplying uranium to Iran for its nuclear program, saying Tuesday that it has never produced the metallic element, a key ingredient for nuclear energy and weapons.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez joined top Bolivian officials in dismissing the allegations after a secret Israeli government report accused both nations of providing Iran with uranium.

Bolivian Presidential Minister Juan Ramon Quintana called it nonsense and labeled Israel's intelligence agency a bunch of incompetent "clowns."

I fear we have our own incompetent clowns here in DC.

Meanwhile, the clown-in-chief made no mention of the growing world threats while partying in Las Vegas. The man does have his priorities in order.

“It is good to be back in Vegas,” Mr. Obama told supporters gathered in the Poker Tournament Room at Caesar’s Palace. “I thought I had a good room at Ceaser’s, but now that I am president they upgraded me. They have been stashing away a really nice room. It’s like one of those high-roller rooms. And now I have it because I am president.”