What a surprise.

The Sunday emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council, called to consider North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile, concluded without any official reaction to North Korea’s provocation.

The U.N. will dither on like it did with Saddam and North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons, and as the U.N. continues to do with Iran’s nuclear program.

The U.S. says the “launch constituted a clear-cut violation” of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718 (2006). Unfortunately, as predicted, China and Russia said they were not convinced that Pyongyang had
violated any U.N. rules by trying to send a satellite into orbit.

China and Russia are grasping at straws to protect North Korea. Resolution 1718 states at paragraph numbered 2:

“2.  Demands that the DPRK not conduct any further nuclear test or launch of a ballistic missile;”

The North Korean rocket launch presents a critical test of President Obama’s leadership on a major foreign policy crisis, and of his new friendship with the leaders of China and Russia. Joe Biden warned us Obama would be tested.

Obama reacted with tough talk and insisted that North Korea face consequences for flagrantly violating Resolution 1718:

“Rules must be binding, violations must be punished. Words must mean something,” Obama said. “The world must stand together to prevent the spread of these weapons.”

Reaction to Obama’s tough talk was critical.

The Politico reports Obama’s naive, John Lenon Imagine-like, call for “a world without nuclear weapons” looks unrealistic: “Hard-line critics say North Korea’s move makes the president’s no-nukes aspirations all the more unrealistic, even dangerous.”

The Hill’s Jeremy P. Jacobs reports Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called Obama’s nuclear weapons policy a “fantasy.”

Wall Street Journal editorialized, “Kim has every reason to expect that he will eventually get what he wants — more recognition, more money and energy supplies” and “his nukes and missiles too.”

The Obama critics have it right. The North Koreans couldn’t care less about world opinion. A fact the rogue state has made abundantly clear in the 60 years since it started the Korean War. Tough talk will not impress the North Koreans. To the contrary, if tough talk is not backed up by tough action it will be perceived as weakness and only encourage the North Koreans to see how much more they can get away with under President Obama. The American People understand this as evidenced by their support for a military response.