Does anyone have a good reason or explanation as to why it *doesn’t* look like US admin is now trying to define “nuclearize” as North Korea retaining technology and actual warheads but making certain agreements and confidence building gestures that allow US to say we …

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) May 14, 2018

It feels like the beginning of an effort to define success down from denuclearization to ratification of the status quo with sanctions relief for North Korea. https://t.co/b1woUULoMh

— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) May 14, 2018

Which for all the descriptions of NK’s insane ambitions seems much more like their actual ambition: being a made man in intl system by acquiring a nuclear deterrent and then normalize relations on the basis of that status. Makes the whole effort eminently rational. https://t.co/Dcb1RYDvWn

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) May 14, 2018

I’m not liking our new reality where nothing matters. Obama, with pressure from sanctions, and with the cooperation of other powers, got Iran to give up its nuclear program and submit to a strong inspections regime.

Trump declares it a ‘bad deal’ and the GOP falls in line.

North Korea COMPLETES their nuclear development program, and based on Pompeo’s tweets won’t give up their nukes, but may offer vague happy-sounding promises, and will probably get their sanctions reduced, plus they get to appear in a position of equality with the US - something they’ve sought for decades.

Trump will declare it a ‘great deal, the like of which the world has never seen’, and the GOP will fall in line. They’ll say it’s because he was tough that NK folded, but I don’t think keeping their nukes, keeping their regime, getting sanctions lifted, and joining the rest of the nuclear nations is really what we’d have called ‘folding’.