Well, so far so good. Maybe. Possibly. We can hold our breath now.
Donald J. Trump and Kim Jong Un — the leaders of two enemy nations — have met, shaken hands and have signed an agreement that commits North Korea to reaching a peace agreement on the Korean Peninsula.
That means eventual “denuclearization.” It means an end to “war games” with U.S. and South Korean forces practicing ways they can fend off a potential attack from the North; the president called the exercises “provocative.”
Where in the name of world peace to we go from here?
Perhaps the bigger question is whether we can trust the North Korean dictator — who’s killed dissenters by the thousands and ordered the murder of members of his own family — to keep his word.
The president, in an extraordinary — and frankly, incredulous — about-face, has called Kim an “honorable” man. He said his people “love” him. Really, Mr. President? They love this guy?
President Reagan used to invoke a Russian saying that translated loosely means “trust, but verify.” I am waiting for signs that our side has instituted any verification mechanisms to validate the pledges that Kim has made to Donald Trump.
Maybe they’re in there, somewhere, hidden from public view.
Then again, maybe the president of the United States has been taken for a ride.
Still, this first-ever meeting between a U.S. president and a North Korean despot holds enormous promise.
Or … it might all explode.
Now we wait.