Just for fun…back in the day, Powell described the likely US response to a North Korean nuclear test in a 2003 interview with Business Week :
Q: And if the North Koreans test nuclear arms?
A: If they test we’ll take note of their test. The only reason they are testing is to scare the international community. The President has already accepted the possibility that they might test. And we will say “Gee, that was interesting.”
The 50-year history of dealing with this regime is that they are marvelous in terms of threats, in terms of rhetoric and actions. Well, they might take an action, but this time they would be sticking their finger not just in the eye of the United States, but I think Kim Jong Il will have to think twice about whether he would do such a thing in light of Chinese involvement.
Interesting, indeed…