Kim Jong-Bill's "Breakthrough"

Earlier this week I criticized Governor Bill Richardson for allowing himself to be used as a propaganda piece by the North Korean government with his touring of the USS Pueblo and the subsequent mockery of Richardson by the North Koreans during the tour. Now Governor Richardson is using the North Koreans for his own propaganda purposes with his announcement of negotiating a “North Korean Breakthrough”:

After years of confrontation with virtually the entire world, the regime in North Korea yesterday took its first steps away from its policy of nuclear confrontation.

The North Koreans agreed to begin shutting down their Yongbyon atomic reactor, the facility that provides fuel for their nuclear weapons, and say they will allow UN weapons inspectors back into the country for the first time in five years.

The world is a safer place today, and I am proud to have played a role in securing this agreement.

Over at Richardson’s website where this message was posted the K-blogosphere’s own Richardson left a detailed reply to Governor Richardson’s announcement of negotiating a North Korean breakthrough that he also has posted in full at his site:

• Bill Richardson did not negotiate any breakthrough with the North Koreans, and was not authorized to do so. The North Korean decision was because, “Macau authorities had unblocked about $25 million of North Korean funds that had been frozen at Banco Delta Asia (BDA) for about 18 months.”
• That inspectors would be required, and that the reactor be shutdown, was agreed to in the 13 February deal (DOC), and had absolutely nothing to do with Bill Richardson being in Pyongyang.
• Don’t confuse the messenger of news he had nothing to do with, with the actual negotiator, which was and is Christopher Hill. Hill will take a large part of the blame when it fails, so don’t try to steal his thunder unless you want to partake in that as well.
• What Bill Richardson’s delegation did do was this; “made clear to the North Koreans that Americans are united in seeking a ‘peaceful and final end to North Korea’s nuclear program.’ ” But that’s all.

The site administrator left a very weak response which Richardson went and demolished even further:

You are correct that Bill Richardson is respected by the North Koreans, although I do not attach the same significance to that as you do, having noted some of the qualities that tend to garner such “respect” by them. And it is true that he has had several dealings with them in the past.

But those grains of truth do not give him the right to claim responsibility for things he did not do. If Bill Richardson put that title on an email he sent out, and aside from the fact that the content does not reflect the title, he’s being patently dishonest by attempting to take credit for the work of others. BDA funds being released caused yesterday’s headlines, and to claim otherwise is both absurd and foolish.

When you say, “I’m sure [Hill] was involved in the negotiations,” you reveal how much you don’t know about the current situation with North Korea; Hill has been intimately involved in this entire process, not Bill Richardson.

About his trip you also say;

. . . when the Bush Administration decided to try it, they called on the best diplomat they could find: Bill Richardson. There is a reason that none of the other Presidential candidates, Democrats and Republicans, were chosen for the mission.

Care to rethink that statement? Bill Richardson was indeed “chosen” to go to North Korea – but by the North Koreans, not the U.S. On the other hand, if you really what to know what the Bush administration thinks of him – you said, “the called on the best” – then try this, from someone who actually knows:

A White House official accompanying what has turned into a high-profile private delegation to North Korea is being sent to avoid giving a mixed message to Pyongyang in the middle of critical denuclearization negotiations, a former director of the National Security Council (NSC) said Saturday.

Michael Green, who headed the Asia team at the council until the end of 2005, described what he saw as White House’s concerns about New Mexico’s Gov. Bill Richardson, a 2008 presidential hopeful, traveling to North Korea.

“Richardson is running for president and really only wants to get publicity out of this. So the administration does not think he can be a reliable messenger,” Green told Yonhap through e-mail. . . Victor Cha, in charge of Korea and Japan at the Council, is joining the governor. (emphasis added)

That would be to avoid a repeat of Carter’s 1994 surprise, if you have any idea of what I’m referring to.

The North Koreans respect Governor Richardson (likely because he respects them and doesn’t take the schoolyard bully approach of calling them names like the Bush Administration) and sought out his counsel.

The North Korean’s want someone to uncritically deliver their message. That’s why they chose him.

Perhaps you are unaware of the POW/MP program that has been working the North Korea issue for years, without the assistance of Bill Richardson.

I’ll address the other inaccuracies in your information soon.

Finally, I have to say, your site has the feel of a Juch’e propaganda site. No, really.

I am posting Richardson’s comments in full because Governor Richardson’s site has a policy of deleting comments they don’t like which is what One Free Korea found out when he posted on Governor Richardson’s site. OFK asked if Governor Richardson mentioned anything about Camp 22 to the North Koreans during his visit. This was taken as a troll comment and deleted by the site administrators and here was the reason given:

This morning I deleted three posts that appeared in quick one right after each other last night. All three were particularly critical of Gov. Richardson. While this website isn’t supposed to be a Richardson lovefest with no criticism allowed, we are a “for Richardson” site.

I didn’t have time to research the claims in these posts in order to respond. The topics were social services in New Mexico, North Korea and honestly I forget the third. One of them still exists as a comment here, as it was double posted by the author.

If you don’t like Richardson and you feel that by posting here will get some attention for your gripe and “show those Richardson supporters” what a creep he really is, please think twice. I’ll delete your post and eventually delete your account if you persist. Feel free to start your own anti-Richardson blog or community though at any number of free services (here and here). Your posts will show up on our feed reader at some point anyway.

Asking about Camp 22 seems like fair criticism to me? Why have a blog with open comments if you are just preaching to the choir and not willing answer difficult questions? Also if you don’t have time to answer questions that is what other commenters can do and that creates a discussion. This might as well be called a Governor Richardson propaganda site if honest discussion is not allowed. Additionally no one even made any comments about Governor Richardson being a “creep”. Just because people disagree with his viewpoints and claims about North Korea doesn’t mean that we think he is a creep. This is just simple name calling of those the site disagrees with in order to deflect the valid criticism leveled against Governor Richardson. Finally, I’m sure Joshua and Richardson would not even left any comments on the Governor Richardson’s site if inaccurate claims from the Governor were not made such as him brokering a North Korean nuclear “breakthrough”.

His claims have even been picked up by the biggest liberal blog the Daily Kos:

Richardson, in just the last couple of months, has brokered landmark deals in Darfur and North Korea — efforts that had stymied the Bush Administration through two terms. There is no one in American politics today more respected and accomplished on foreign policy than Bill Richardson.

This is myth making at it’s finest, a “landmark deal” with North Korea? With claims like these that is why OFK has now coined the nickname Kim Jong-Bill to refer to Governor Richardson for now on. I can’t think of a more fitting name.