There were “sanctions” against Iran, wherein we threatened to take away their peeps if they didn’t stop their move toward nuclear weapons. Now we’ve lifted even that, and Iran is months away from getting those weapons. Then there were “sanctions” against Russia, wherein we froze the empty bank accounts of a couple of oligarchs, and the Russians still occupy Crimea and are moving to invade eastern and southern Ukraine after having first inserted their personnel into the cities in the area to prepare the battleground. Oh, and we’re still paying one of those oligarchs a ton of money because the “sanctions” were for the oligarchs, not their businesses.

Now there are “sanctions” threatened against northern Korea.

[I]t may be time to consider sanctions with “even more bite” against the North as it threatens its fourth nuclear test.

So said President Barack Obama while he was in the Republic of Korea late last week. And he said that northern Korea would be even further isolated if it proceeds. How he plans to achieve that is a mystery, given his additional remark:

North Korea already is the most isolated country in the world, by far[.]

And on. And on.

What’s going on—did Obama stay up all night memorizing this word a while ago? Unfortunately, ….