President Barack Obama came into office ready to talk, and on many fronts he has already made good on his promise. He has directly addressed the Iranian people and opened channels to the government in Tehran. His address last week to the wider Muslim world was widely hailed as a success. And he exchanged a smiling handshake with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in April. Yet, apparently some situations demand a harder line.
At the moment, one such situation is a North Korea poised to go nuclear. The item has thrust itself to the top of the president's already overflowing agenda. The immediate question it raises is whether talking might quell new aggression from Kim Jong-il's regime. In answer, Obama seems to be breaking with the three previous administrations and taking a harder line than many expected.
"Clinton bought it once, Bush bought it again, and we're not going to buy it a third time," an Obama administration strategist said privately to the New York Times.