Even considering the Pyongyang temper tantrum, I'm quite pleased with the progress in performance the Bush administration has made since November, 2006 (at least as far as six-party talks are concerned). Obviously, a little dissent, a Congressional house-cleaning leading to intense oversight, firing the Secretary of Defense, and marginalizing Vice-President Cheney do make a difference. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill is finally scoring points on Pyongyang for the world to notice. American conservatives starved for blood can point to some real damage: one ruined Macanese bank, strained Macau-PRC relations, Pyongyang's walkout from talks in Beijing, and Seoul's (cross our fingers!) resolution not to deliver food aid to Pyongyang. Even more encouraging is the deftness of the supposed disagreement between State and Treasury over BDA and the effect on Pyongyang:

Analysts at the Congressional Research Service, in a report (pdf) last month, suspected that the actual funds weren't North Korea's main concern. Instead, they assumed the issue was the "wider ripple effect" that could hamper North Korea's financial transactions as other banks contemplate BDA's downfall. Without a retraction of U.S. accusations about money laundering, though, the ripple effect will persist even after North Korea gets its $25 million back.

Along with the unrelated help from Austalia's cozying up to Japan, why would anyone feel anything other than pride in Washington's diplomatic performance?

Joshua at OFK rants: "If this agreement is not to degenerate into a protracted farce Ã¢â‚¬â€œ and no deal at all would be a far better thing – this is our last chance to stop it." Fortunately, Joshua at OFK is not a member of the government, and there's little in this comment to distinguish his intentions form the Pyongyang tantrum. (That Hill quip, that all hardliners are related, comes to mind here.) The Bush administration has learned from the mistakes of the 1994 Agreed Framework, built upon the 2005 Statement, and Hill single-handedly has rediscovered the diplomatic art for the entire administration. Now, if only Secretary of State Rice would throw down, the Bush administration could honestly point to a lasting achievement in American diplomacy, not just East Asian relations. The DPRK has not imploded, releasing refugees throughout the continent, undermining economic and security relations throughout the region in ways no one wants to contemplate, Seoul still stands, and the bumbling Bush administration and the lunatic rightwing have not destroyed what's left of American military forces fighting a second peninsular war or violating another state's sovereignty for self-serving ideological and corrupt goals. Conservatives like this are just embarrassing and dangerous.

TMH's mdr points out the next hurdle for the Bush administration: HEU. I'm optimistic my government, with sufficient oversight and encouragement, can continue to improve its performance.