Jay Ambrose: North Korean talks could save the world

President Donald Trump is going to sit down with Kim Jong Un and try to devise a way for North Korea to get rid of all of its nuclear firepower. This might not work, but, if it does, it could save the world, making up for the despicable laxity of preceding presidents. It’s diplomacy of the kind so many wanted, happens to be even more important than Stormy Daniels — and what’s the response?

Hand- wringing, that’s what, at least from too many news stories and too much commentary telling us this is too abrupt. Trump doesn’t know what he’s doing, we learn. There has not been enough planning. It’s verboten for presidents to sit down face- to- face with North Korean leaders, ever. There are intricacies here Trump cannot possibly understand. It’s his ego at work in response to South Koreans visiting and indicating denuclearization really is a possibility.

It isn’t, we are informed. End of story.

North Korea could obviously be up to something duplicitous. But understand that no former president has elicited the degree of anti-Korean cooperation from China that Trump has and that China is responsible for 90 percent of North Korean trade. The U. N. sanctions are actually meaningful, and North Korea’s distraught economy hasn’t been made any better by the costs of nuclear armament. People going hungry is not exactly a winning position even for a murderous dictator.

On top of that, we have Trump’s “fire and fury” talk. Trump has made it clear we will not allow North Korea to get the point where it could bomb the smithereens out of us, and, in this regard, one thinks of the Cuban missile crisis.

Russia had placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, a means of more easily taking us out, giving Fidel Castro more power and putting us at a strategic disadvantage. President John F. Kennedy told Russia to get the missiles out of there or we would, and things looked pretty scary for a while. Although there was a behind- the- scenes deal that was only known much later, Russia did back down.

It’s indeed possible that North Korea thinks this wild- andcrazy Trump guy just could strike militarily at its nuclear stockpile. And, despite the costs of fierce retaliation especially aimed at South Korea, the possibility should not be ruled out. Some think we could live with a nuclear- armed North Korea, but it would amount to a second Cold War. There would be nuclear proliferation all over the place. The threat of devastating destruction would rise, not go away. It would be horror.

The U. S. goal in these talks should be what Trump has always demanded: total, immediate nuclear disarmament. We should maybe even do the work for the North Koreans and at the least send in an army of inspectors.

My own view is that we should also be willing to pay for the destruction or transport of the nuclear materials, adding another incentive for disarmament. But what else might North Korea want in return? What if Kim wants us to likewise disarm? We won’t. What if they want us to get our military forces out of South Korea? As long as North Korea maintains conventional forces capable of wiping out thousands and there is no meaningful pact between the two countries, we won’t.

Even if no agreement of any kind is reached, some say, the North Koreans will profit. But not necessarily. Once the United States has moved to do all it reasonably can diplomatically, the military option will seem more justified, and North Korea will have even more reason to worry.

I am nowhere near convinced that a president who fires his secretary of state with a tweet is capable of negotiating anything meaningful on his own, but he will be surrounded by highly skilled and knowledgeable cohorts. No one knows what will happen and making predictions is not news coverage. This negotiation matters, and it matters far more than some other press preoccupations of the moment.

From my perspective as sheriff, I want a leader who has been committed to protecting the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our communities. We need a leader who has fought time and time again for the best interests of our law enforcement community.

That’s why I’m extremely proud to announce that I - along with more than 100 other sheriffs across the state - am supporting Casey Cagle in his bid for governor.

Casey has proven he can lead on behalf of our law enforcement community. Casey has been publicly committed to finding a solution for raising local law enforcement salaries. He led the Compensation of Police and Sheriffs ( COPS) Task Force this year and has worked hand- in- hand with local leaders to propose solutions to this pressing issue. Last year, Casey passed the Back the Badge legislative package to increase the funds that families of fallen police officers receive and to toughen penalties against criminals who assault our men and women in uniform.

As Lt. Governor, Casey has led as a true conservative on issues important to Georgia’s families. Georgia has grown to become the number one state to do business in the nation, and Casey has also led to usher in the largest income tax cut in the history of Georgia. He has earned an A+ rating from the NRA every single year he has served in office, won recognition as the Georgia Life Alliance’s Champion of Life, and outlawed and defunded sanctuary cities to protect our families.

Casey can emphasize with the struggles that many in our community face daily. He grew up with a single mother in a singlewide trailer in rural Hall County, and through hard work, perseverance and a love for God, he grew into the man that now leads our state. He has not forgotten his humble upbringing and he is committed to raising economic prosperity for every single person in Georgia.