First rumblings of change in North Korea

Something odd is happening in North Korea and Kim Jong Il's regime. By this account, it's crumbling. I found this part of the report to be fascinating;

Bush’s re-election dealt a blow to Kim, 62, who had gambled on a win by John Kerry, the Democratic candidate. Kim used a strategy of divide and delay to drag out nuclear talks with the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea through 2004.
Kim lost his bet and now faces four more years of Bush, who says that he “loathes” the North Korean leader and has vowed to strip him of atomic weapons.

If this is accurate, it would seem that the regime was waiting to see if the American people would elect John Kerry which would be seen as a victory for the Axis of Evil nation and its rogue leader. George W. Bush's reelection was the death knell because it spelled four more years of tough dealings with Washington instead of Champaign with Maddy Albright.

This analysis reminds me immediately of the Momar Ghadafi turnabout in Libya. If this is indeed what is happening, it would appear that this time the Domino Theory that was feared by America regarding International Communism in the 1960s is playing nicely on the other foot; the foot of Democracy.

Democracy on the march was evident in Iraq today. Does this story spell democracy for North Korea too? It's far too early to say. But the downfall of a madman like Kim Jong Il might mean his being replaced with something safer for the region and the world. Let's hope so.

(tip o' the bird to the Instapundit)