A Little Less than a Rock Star Appearance

Captured first by Japanese TV no less.

The Nuke NorKo nincompoop has got a little less hair and a lot less pull than he once did. Ahh, how the ol' boy must long for the glory days; when sitting on top of a nuclear arsenal was all it took to get a little respect around here.

One wonders though: Why the sudden trip to China and why the less than rock star intro, allowing himself to be shown looking like an invalid? One answer and very little hairless head scratching is all you need: The Cheonan Sinking.

The man knows a mistake when he sees one and running back to mama is about an old a reaction of human instinct as there is. Now the question is what will Mama China do? Will they stand by their adopted child or go with the rich neigbor's kid next door?

From an imagery point of you, this trip to China is about as bad a play as Dukkakis in the tank during his presidential run against George Bush I. Looking like a fool never did anyone any good--as I myself can surely vouch.

From a strategic point of you it equally stinks. If you're game is off, then you stay behind closed doors, let the larger than life speak for the actual life. But things are different now for senor Kim. And this trip to China by train (yeah, the Great Leader is afraid of flying) shows that he at least has enough sense to know that sinking his southern brethren's warship was about as stupid a blunder as one could wonder upon.  

You hate to kick a man when he is down --unless of course it is Kim Jong-il. The Chosun Ilbo led their story on Kim's arrival with: 

"He was seen dragging his left leg on his way through the lobby toward the front door of the Furama Hotel in Dalian, China. His left hand also seemed nearly immobile and his entire body supported by his right leg. 

Kim reportedly had a stroke in August 2008. He appeared on the leadership platform during a session of the Supreme People's Assembly in April last year with a pronounced limp. (better than a pronounced lisp I suppose).

"It seems that he's suffering the physiological sequelae of cerebral hemorrhage or cerebral infarction in the right brain. This is why he can't move his left arm and left leg freely," a doctor said. 

"The fact that he can't use his left arm and left leg freely even though a year and a half have passed since he had the stroke suggests that the sequelae have reached a level where it's difficult to recover." 

All ribbing aside, I feel quite confident that The Mighty Jong-il knew nothing of the sinking of the Cheonan and that it was a rogue commander trying to gain favor. And with all the tough talk going on south of the 38th, no wonder Kim has decided to show that his bark actually is worse than his bite --or his ability to bite with all that dental work.

The Chosun Ilbo again:

Defense Minister Kim Tae-yung on Sunday threatened North Korea with retaliation if it is found to have been behind the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan on March 26. “Retaliation — whatever form it takes — must be done,” Kim said on KBS TV. The possibility of a vicious cycle of retaliation “must clearly be considered,” he said.

I don't like the sound of that "cycle" suggestion, which would mean that Kim Jong-il would have to order his own retaliation from his life cycle --though he probably orders someone else to ride it for him.

Stay tuned boys and girls, the show has actually started.
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Update: Then there is this guy who actually thinks the U.S. sunk the Cheonan.