the idiot Trump is undermining those diplomatic efforts.

Then he looks like a strong leader whose strength produced the diplomatic resolution.

How can NK be assured we won't attack them? If a way is found so NK feels safe then they could stop development of nukes.

nm

He said this,on the NY Times podcast Thurs.
More trump administration lies.

"Kim, buddy, I need some juice in the polls, can we banty this back and forth in public awhile??"

And, I'm the Queen of Sheba. Nikki Haley was my governor. She's full of shit, l already know not to believe a word that comes out of her yap, and I don't trust any of the others any more than I do her.

I don't believe they talk about anything but hostages and kimchi. Nikki doesn't have a clue, to them it's all about meet and greet with little substance in policy.

But NK has a habit of talking for months and then giving multiple US administrations the middle finger so to speak. Primarily because they don't trust us as far as they could throw us and who could blame them given the current administration. Kim and company are evil bastards, no doubt, but they're not stupid.

Our only leverage was the possibility of a preemptive strike and regime change, but China has checked that move by their recent statement that they will not allow the NK government to fall. So now, not only would the blow back from our primary point of leverage be the destruction of much of South Korea, but an armed confrontation between nuclear armed powers and even this administration isn't going there...period. It's a real poke in 45's eye, and I've not yet heard the administration respond to this very serious complication.

Tillerson's only leverage now is to try and buy them off with China's help. Good luck with that. China is angling to grab the credit for ending NK's nuclear program and deescalating the situation, while 45 looks like the buffoon he is. A huge step up for China's prestige on the world stage, and at our expense. The only idiots who will believe 45 had anything to do with it are his nut job base, but they'd believe any bullshit spooned out to them anyways.

In one of his vacation pressers...

He said something to the effect - "Yeah diplomacy is happening - but we dont want to talk about that...we want to talk about (war)"

That's not an exact quote - but it was something like that...

Sometimes his mouth runs so much - he accidentally lets the cat out of the bag.

They are definitely working the "theatre" angle.

I'm sure Trump is lying on some major level yet unknown, maybe the intelligence assessment is purposely exaggerated (Maddow's suspicion), there may be Russians involved in NK talks, colluding with Trump...I assume there's something nefarious going on for Trump's benefit.

But this article seems potentially credible to me. It is widely publicized by major news agencies and I'm not aware of a reason not to believe Mattis, who's continually acted independent of Trump.

He was just noting a narrow diplomatic channel exists and some efforts are underway. I don't see how that's a slam dunk lie, and there's no facts refuting it I'm aware of. I'm not sure how a former Clinton official would know what's going on - who's their source?

Haley, in her UN role, has also contradicted Trump numerous times and the UN just passed NK sanctions unanimously. She obviously had a role in that.