Dan Blumenthal of AEI tells The Corner he’s not surprised — the North Koreans are “playing true to form” as they “foment a crisis,” work to “undermine the credibility of alliance commitmenst,” and “play for more concessions with the ultimate goal of full recognition as a nuclear state.”

He adds praise for Clinton: “It is good that she invited Prime Minister Aso to become the first international visitor to D.C. That is the right appproach — Japan not China is the linchpin of our Asia policy.”