Norks going goofy again

AP/Houston Chronicle:

North Korea's state media warned Friday the communist nation would bolster its "war deterrent," accusing the United States of plotting a nuclear war, as the world awaited Pyongyang's explanation about its failure to meet a nuclear deadline.

The North's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper claimed that the U.S. is modernizing its nuclear arsenal under its "aggression strategies," but made no mention of the missed year-end deadline for the country to declare all its nuclear programs under an international agreement.

"Our republic will continue to harden its war deterrent further in response to the U.S. stepping up its nuclear war moves," the paper said in a commentary, carried by the country's official Korean Central News Agency.

North Korea often uses "deterrent," "war deterrent," or "nuclear deterrent" to refer to its nuclear weapons.

The U.S. has repeatedly stressed that it has no intention of attacking or invading North Korea, and would normalize relations with the North if it gives up nuclear programs.

Pyongyang has promised to abandon its nuclear ambitions in return for energy aid and political concessions. In October, it pledged to disable its nuclear facilities and issue a declaration on its atomic programs by the end of the year in return for the equivalent of 1 million tons of oil from its partners in the six-way talks — the U.S., China, Japan, South Korea and Russia.

The North missed the deadline, and has not explained why.

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The sound and the fury of the North Korean government is truly a tale told by an idiot whose significance is more than nothing but less than material at this point. The Chinese, who have been their ally describe them as "difficult." Not too smart, would be another definition. I suspect that the leadership sees its power slipping away and is reluctant to let go of what it sees as it s talisman, even though it would be helpful to its people.