Breaking old patterns

North Korea | With North Korea, despite UN resolve, it will be hard | Jamie Dean

KCNA/AFP/Getty Images

Vice President Joe Biden often rankles White House officials with his blunt assessments of international crises, but Biden may be spot-on when it comes to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il: "God only knows what he wants."

Biden's comments came after North Korea scoffed at new United Nations sanctions aimed at the communist regime. The UN Security Council unanimously adopted the restrictions June 12 after North Korea tested a nuclear device May 25 and vowed to continue developing nuclear weapons. North Korean officials say they will view any attempt by the United States to enforce the sanctions as an act of war.

Pentagon officials told a Senate committee that if North Korea continues its weapons development, the regime could have the missile capacity to hit the United States in as little as three years.