North Korean Clowns

Even with the embarrasing failure of its July Fourth missile tests, North Korea rightly gets some heat from the Bush administration. And of course, not to appear weak, some tough talk from North Korea:

"Our military will continue missile launch drills as part of measures to bolster self-defense capabilities like this time, and (we) will have no option but to take stronger physical actions of other forms, should any other country dare take issue with the exercises and put pressure on it," a government statement said.

North Korea also said it would retaliate for any efforts to impose restrictions on its missile tests, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

And some tough talk from the UN:

The European Union, NATO, Australia, and a host of countries condemned the tests, which took place after US military satellites observed the preparations for more than a month and after leaders around the world warned against such an action. Some analysts believe the tests were part of developing a delivery system for a nuclear weapon, which North Korea openly says it is developing to protect itself from attack.

Of course this means nothing:

Japan circulated a draft of a Security Council resolution that calls the tests a ``threat to international peace" and urges nations around the world to ``prevent the transfer of financial resources, items, materials, goods, and technology" that might benefit North Korea's weapons programs, according to a copy of the proposal.

The United States and Britain backed the resolution, but Russia and China appeared reluctant to endorse it.

But Kim Jong Il already knew that.