Secret Meetings

Is North Korea in a serious desire to come back to the six-party talks, and if so, is Bush ready to handle it? Is there anyway to bargain with Kim Jong Il? Slate talks about the difficulties of reading North Korea, why Kim Jong Il plays so many games, and what has worked in the past:

At the same time, there have been successful negotiations with North Korea—maddeningly difficult, but successful. The 1994 Agreed Framework, negotiated by the Clinton administration, left open some loopholes (it was meant as a limited accord), but for nine years it kept 8,000 nuclear fuel rods locked up and constantly monitored, preventing North Korea from building as many as 50 A-bombs.

So, what should President Bush do? Stay on his high horse, refuse to negotiate (or, as he once put it, to "reward bad behavior"), and watch one of the world's loosest cannons go nuclear? Or acknowledge the risks, get ready to be annoyed, and sit down at the table? There's still time, maybe one last time, to make a choice.

This finality is distressing, obviously. It may be our last chance to stay this disaster before it becomes inevitable.