[fencepost]

I suspect you overstate Chinese control over North Korea. Certainly they have influence and going against their wishes may have repercussions, but don't think that possible repercussions are the only thing that matters and don't assume that what is obvious and appropriate in your mind is the same for Kim Jong Un or Donald Trump.

Heck, for a lot of the folks Trump has surrounded himself with these two statements have identical connotations: "North Korea may kill thousands of South Koreans with artillery," and "Brown Asians may kill thousands of other brown Asians with artillery." I'm 100% positive that there are people in this administration whose private response to statements like that is "you say that as if it's a bad thing?"