The predictably right wing Washington Examiner newspaper is pronouncing diplomacy over North Korea and its nuclear activities dead, despite hopes raised by many due to the rogue country's participation with South Korea in the Winter Olympics.
Normally the Examiner has declined criticism of Trump, but this time it has handed out a harsh dose of editorial bile:
"Were appeasement an event at the Olympics, South Korean President Moon Jae-in would win gold and maybe set a world record. As with South Korea's failed sunshine policy of 1998-2008, today's Olympian appeasement is a recipe for disaster. It buys North Korea time to perfect its nuclear strike capability. This would be bad by itself, but making matters worse is that President Trump doesn't seem to recognize what's going on under his nose. In his State of the Union address, the president declared that his 'maximum pressure' approach was working."
And the paper handed out marching orders to the president:
"[T]he moment the Olympics end, Trump should order the U.S. military, with regional allies Australia and Japan if possible, to enforce U.N. sanctions and inspect vessels shipping illegal supplies to the hermit kingdom. Smugglers should wake up to find their bank accounts empty and, more threateningly, their car tires slashed (sic).
Trump should ask for NATO contributions towards a military buildup on Guam, which is far enough away from South Korea to avoid political sensitivities, but close enough to provide assistance should war break out.
Citing evidence of Chinese and Russian noncompliance with U.N. sanctions, the president should also instruct the Treasury Department to introduce immediate sanctions on Chinese and Russian financial entities that operate Pyongyang's capital lifeline.
But most of all, Trump must wake up and take action. His maximum pressure strategy is toast. Its resuscitation is still possible, but diplomacy is dying in the darkness gathering over the Korean peninsula."