At times like this, I like to remember the wisdom of UN nuclear specialist and IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei: Israel is a bigger threat than North Korea. But just in case he's wrong, how about we get Obama to give a speech to the "Asian World." Preferably soon:

North Korea said Tuesday it would use nuclear weapons in a "merciless offensive" if provoked -- its latest bellicose rhetoric apparently aimed at deterring any international punishment for its recent atomic test blast. Pyongyang raised tensions a notch by reviving its rhetoric in a commentary in the state-run Minju Joson newspaper Tuesday. "Our nuclear deterrent will be a strong defensive means ... as well as a merciless offensive means to deal a just retaliatory strike to those who touch the country's dignity and sovereignty even a bit," said the commentary, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

Remember how before the April launch Gates announced - in advance - that we had no military options against a North Korean missile launch? And how Clinton signaled - in advance - that we wouldn't really be able to do anything diplomatically either? And how Obama proved them right when he banned our cutting-edge radar system from monitoring the launch and failed to get the UN to respond adequately, having personally fumbled the question during a press conference?

You don't think that emboldened these sociopaths, eventually encouraging them to conduct the May nuclear test that caught us flatfooted, do you?

Oh well. At least Iran isn't tracking Obama's weakness in response to North Korean provocations. That would really degrade our negotiating position.

References and previously after the jump...