In contrast with their attitude towards the threat in Iraq, Dubya's crowd doesn't seem to have done much about the WMD programs in North Korea or Pakistan. But they're stepping up the pressure -- they have announced sanctions against both the AQ Kahn labs in Pakistan, home of their nuclear program, and North Korea.

So, what does this mean?

In fact, the weight of the sanctions is principally symbolic, officials said, because neither the Khan laboratories nor North Korea do business in the United States. Yet the move is meant to carry a message at a time when the Bush administration is seeking to isolate Pyongyang.

They're still not willing to actually talk to the North Koreans face to face, but they're sending a message. With another slap in the face. But hey, they're doing it because they love...