Gotta new favorite word thanks to Kim Jung Un: dotard!

I know, right?

Dotard Donald... just rolls off the tongue and fits the doddering old fool like a wee small pair of gloves fits his tiny little hands. :)

excellent link.

I've revised my opinion about youth football - evidence is emerging that it increases the risk of serious cognitive deficits in later in life. Not as dramatic a risk as that facing pro and college players, but why expose your child to this risk when there are safer alternatives? Most countries do fine without USA football.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csv1bz

"Trump is left with nothing but bluster on North Korea, because we really have no viable military options short of nuclear annihilation."

I think there are viable military options short of nuclear war. The first is to take a leaf from the Cuban Missile Crisis and put a "naval quarantine" around North Korea. That would put a stop to a lot of trade sanction cheating, and N. Korea would feel the burn. There downside risks, but they seem a lot less than those associated with starting off with a nuclear war.

If the US is simply trying to unilaterally knock out N Korea's nuclear weapons production capability, nukes don't seem to offer any compelling advantages over non-nuclear alternatives. The N Korean's have presumably hardened key production assets underground. The best way to destroy these is with precision, big, deep penetrating bombs. We have such. Putting a nuke warhead in one of these bombs is basically overkill.

One other point about the risks of the US going for the nuclear option.

"The tradeoff of such annihilation would be staggering, because it would likely mean turning North Korea into a radioactive wasteland -- but only at the price of accepting the same fate for Seoul, as well as for probably at least one Japanese city (or perhaps Guam)."

The implication is that the compelling risk to S. Korea and Japan are that N. Korea will hit back with their own nuclear weapons. They might have the technology to give it a try, they might not, and if they did, it might not work. What is certain is that N. Korea can devastate Seoul using conventional artillery. Beyond that, the fallout from a US nuclear strike on N. Korea won't stay in N Korea. Depending on the season, it could irradiate Japan, S. Korea, Russia and China. Not as bad as a direct hit, but bad enough. How might the collateral parties respond? This ought to deter rational Americans from going down the nuclear preemptive trail, although POTUS gives a good impression of being irrational, even if deep down, he's not as crazy as he looks/sounds.

Are we feeling lucky?

I caught that. Good one.

Depends what you mean by "viable". We could move a carrier battle group into North Korean territorial waters, and tell them we're going to start launching missiles unless they send a signed note saying that our Outstanding Leader's hands are much bigger their Outstanding Leader's. What are they going to do, invade South Korea? A war would be a disaster for everyone. They're not that stupid, or that nihilistic. But we are.

We're not going to rain down nuclear fire upon North Korea just because they aren't doing what we want them to do (or, more accurately, are doing things we disapprove of). I doubt that even if Trump gave the order to do so that it would be carried out

There's a big difference between doubt that the order would be carried out, and certainty that it wouldn't be. Nobody knows what would happen if Stormfront, Vladimir, or Jared told the Cheeto-in-Chief that he was supposed to push the button now.

I spoke too soon. Repeal is moving at (for the Senate) lightning speed as its deadline approaches.