N Korea: Where is the war of words heading?

Comparisons to 1950 and today are not valid. Back then, President Truman made the gross error of having his Secretary of State announce to the world that the United States would not engage in armed conflict in defense of South Korea. It was those words and those alone that triggered the invasion of the South. Kim has not received any such encouragement this time. No, he is simply employing a strategy that has worked to perfection in recent history. Threaten South Korea and receive gifts to appease his temper tantrums. He is now responding like the spoiled child of parents who have discovered the error of their ways and no longer submitting to his demands. It is now time to make a clear statement that any aerial "test" of a nuclear device anywhere over the Pacific will be considered a direct assault on the United States and its allies and that we will respond accordingly. Think about it. The repercussions of such a test would be fatal to some degree...

Putin has pushed us into another corner. Both Russia and China want to see if we really can shoot down a missile in flight or we have been sold a trillion dollar scarecrow