Norks: Oh, hey, know what? We have no idea why Otto Warmbier died

Actually they do offer something of a theory: It's Barack Obama's fault. Really. We all remember "strategic patience," right? That was Obama's slick-sounding name for doing nothing about hostile tyrants and thugs while trying to make it sound like a strategy. Well, you understand, old strategically patient Barack never bothered to ask for Wambier's release. Otherwise, I'm sure Bowl Cut Jr. would have handed him right over, no questions asked. That must be it. Torture? Deprivation? Beatings? The glorious shining kingdom of the DPRK would never do anything like that:

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I don't know if Obama ever requested Warmbier's release, and it's inexcusable if they didn't, but even if that's the case it doesn't remove the slightest culpability from North Korea, which never should have arrested him in the first place. Doctors reported that Warmbier showed clear signs of having been tortured and otherwise mistreated during his captivity. In all likelihood, the only reason the Norks released him is that they realized they'd gone too far in their torment of him, and didn't want to deal with the consequences of his dying in their custody. But that's a distinction without a difference. The North Korean regime murdered Otto Warmbier. The question now is what to do about it. They can't just escape with impunity, but for obvious reasons we can't risk turning Tokyo or Seoul into massive infernos by giving Bowl Cut Jr. an excuse to attack them. Defense Secretary Mattis is right when he says we'd win that war, but also that the cost in innnocent lives would be far too hig President Trump seems to be signaling that the U.S. will come down harder on the few Chinese trade partners who are willing to supply the Norks, making the price of their continuing to do so unacceptable. I'm not sure that's really enough, but it's what we can do immediately so we need to. Ultimately, we need to find a way to destroy this regime and bring about the reunification of the Korean peninsula. Not only have these sadistic monsters turned an entire country into a giant prison, but they're now developing weapons that can threaten the survival of nations halfway around the world, including ours. The missile defense systems we're finally taking seriously will help protect us to some degree, but the only real solution is the end of the Kim dynasty, and the return of freedom to all Koreans.

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