North Korea Agrees to Nuclear Disarmament - Model for Iran

If in fact it becomes reality, the agreement with North Korea seems to be a major success in the making the world a safer place. This begs the question: why try the same approach in the Middle East? I think we know the answer. There is no oil in North Korea nor is that country a real threat to Israel. In fact, the agreement gives this neocon White House the free hand to attack Iran:

North Korea agreed Tuesday after arduous talks to shut down its main nuclear reactor and eventually dismantle its atomic weapons program, just four months after the communist state shocked the world by testing a nuclear bomb.

The deal marks the first concrete plan for disarmament in more than three years of six-nation negotiations. The plan also could potentially herald a new era of cooperation in the region with the North's longtime foes — the United States and Japan — also agreeing to discuss normalizing relations with Pyongyang.

Americans doubt that any good will come from Iraq and they oppose attacking Iran. Despite this reality, Mr.Bush shows no sign of seeing the light:

Two-thirds of Americans say the fighting in Iraq may be beyond the U.S. military's ability to control, according to the latest CBS News poll. Just 25 percent say the military can be effective in lessening the violence between Iraqis.

The war continues to take a toll on opinions about President Bush – his approval rating for handling Iraq is just 27 percent, and his overall job approval is just 32 percent – but the public is divided when it comes to what Congress should do about the war.

The administration is using the same rhetoric now as they used leading to the invasion of Iraq:Last week, the CIA sent an urgent report to President Bush's National Security Council:

Iranian authorities had arrested two al-Qaeda operatives traveling through Iran on their way from Pakistan to Iraq. The suspects were caught along a well-worn, if little-noticed, route for militants determined to fight U.S. troops on Iraqi soil, according to a senior intelligence official.

The arrests were presented to Bush's senior policy advisers as evidence that Iran appears committed to stopping al-Qaeda foot traffic across its borders, the intelligence official said. That assessment comes at a time when the Bush administration, in an effort to push for further U.N. sanctions on the Islamic republic, is preparing to publicly accuse Tehran of cooperating with and harboring al-Qaeda suspects.