Massive attack on N Korea a massively stupid idea

Washington

IN response to worries that it is planning a "bloody nose" strike on North Korea, the Trump administration has been offering an odd reassurance. Any attack on the regime of Kim Jong Un would not be limited, officials and surrogates are saying, but enormous and overwhelming. That, of course, is not reassuring at all: A massive attack on North Korea would be massively stupid.

The White House calls reports that President Donald Trump is considering a small-scale North Korea military option exaggerated. The administration understands that there is no guarantee Mr Kim won't respond with his full military might - a nightmare scenario. But embedded in every denial is a consistent pledge that Mr Trump will not accept North Korea achieving the capability to strike the US with a nuclear-tipped intercontinental missile - a clear red line.