Is Roh insane or on drugs? It’s no longer just a rhetorical question as Roh recently made a string of comments that call into question either his grip on reality or experimentation with mind altering chemicals. And there is a huge difference between Roh and the gaffes made by Bush; Roh actually means what he’s saying (h/t Nomad):

President Roh Moo-hyun said Sunday that his decision to send Korean troops to Iraq was a historical error, even though he didn’t want to history to record him as a leader who made mistakes.

Please continue reading when done laughing.

“As president it was an inevitable decision to send troops to Iraq. . . I realized that this was a time when I couldn’t help but make a historical error even though I didn’t want to. . . Americans could have felt betrayed (if we didn’t send troops), which would not have been good thing for us. . . Though we reluctantly sent them, I think it was very effective diplomacy” [Roh stated].

It was obvious at the time that there was much hand wringing and gnashing of teeth by Roh over sending troops to Iraq. So although this was already known, confirming that it was purely a calculated move rather than having anything to do with international responsibility – say as the 13th largest economy, for what that’s worth. Thought question for Roh; what if the U.S. felt the same way in 1950 about South Korea as the ROK did about Iraq a few years ago?

Though it is a sad situation, Korea’s commitment to the United States is just a reality Korea should accept, Roh said.

I wonder about this translation – specifically are his translators again saving him by making what he says less lecherous that what it really is?

“During my presidency, I solved all the problems. In other words, all the issues, which could be a source of conflict, are gone,” Roh said. “Now there is little over which Seoul and Washington should fight.”

If by “solved” he means “ripped the guts out of” and “destroyed the foundation of,” the alliance, then yes, all “solved” and great job. Roh should head over to OneFreeKorea and check out the “Death of an Alliance” series to see how many problems he’s solved, and how many he’s created.

Another report with more of Roh’s ramblings:

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is the most flexible man in the communist country, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said Sunday as he recalled his summit last month with the reclusive leader.

[. . .]

“Though I did not have dialogues with many people in the North, I felt that Chairman Kim was the most flexible man,” Roh said in an interview with KTV, a government-run cable channel, according to his office.

Roh also described Kim as an outspoken man, adding that Kim was able to make flexible decisions on many practical issues. Roh did not elaborate.

Kim, who wields absolute power in the communist state, tolerates no dissent and demands unquestioning allegiance from its people.

Yes, Roh is still the self-proclaimed “expert,” and his expertise has yielded many astounding results for South Korea, such as. . . oh, wait, North Korea has reaped all the benefits.

Roh also defended his carrot-and-stick approach in dealing with North Korea’s nuclear program.

If I could ask Roh one question, it would be this; “Could you please define the ‘stick’ in your so-called ‘carrot and stick’ policy?” Maybe Roh confused the ginormous carrot he’s been using as a stick.

Roh stressed the importance of trust between South Korea and the U.S. in ending the nuclear row, but said the biggest challenge in the nuclear negotiations was criticism of his own policy by domestic media and the opposition

And here I thought the biggest challenge to solving the North Korean nuclear issue was, you know, North Korea breaking all related deals and proceeding to make and test nukes. But it turns out criticizing Roh’s policy is actually the biggest challenge to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.

A well-prepped high school debate team could rip Roh to shreds. That’s one reality show I’d watch.

The ROK election is just over a month away, and can’t come a second to soon for U.S.-ROK relations.