Barack Obama addressed North Korea’s nuclear shenanigans in an interview with CBS, attempting to look presidential while the Middle East falls apart. He told Charlie Rose, “Our first priority is to protect the American people and our allies, the Republic of Korea, Japan, that are vulnerable to the provocative actions that North Korea is engaging in.” He continued, “[I]t’s not something that lends itself to an easy solution. We could, obviously, destroy North Korea with our arsenals. But aside from the humanitarian costs of that, they are right next door to our vital ally, Republic of Korea.”

Well, yes, and we could easily destroy Iran with our arsenals, too. Or most any other nation for that matter. But if these remarks were intended to stave off any future nuclear development, don’t bet on that happening. Obama did, however, go on to say, “One of the things that we have been doing is spending a lot more time positioning our missile defense systems, so that even as we try to resolve the underlying problem of nuclear development inside of North Korea, we’re also setting up a shield that can at least block the relatively low-level threats that they’re posing right now.”

Here, he’s absolutely right. To force change, you must demonstrate strength, and a missile defense shield is an excellent way to do it. But where was this sentiment during the early stages of Obama’s presidency when he outright retreated from a planned missile defense shield in Europe and cut billions from missile defense programs? Regardless of what fantasies this administration chooses to indulge in, Iran still wants The Bomb and is working tirelessly underground to get it. Why should our response to Iran be any different than our response to North Korea? Or Russia? Or any other fundamentalist or geopolitical foe?

Obama’s newfound revelation is also an about-face when it comes to, well, North Korea. As Ed Morrissey writes, “It’s worth noting that Obama had the opportunity to demonstrate missile-shield capabilities in this region before. The US Navy has the capability to operate its ABM system in the region and at one time had deployed it there, but Obama didn’t order its use when Pyongyang fired off a long-range missile a few years ago. Perhaps a demonstration of that strength might be in order soon.” If there’s one thing you can count on with this administration, it’s unbridled flexibility. And that’s the scariest thing.