THIS IS GETTING GRIM – AT 9:46 A.M. ET:  While we spend our time reading speculative stories about wiretapping, the situation involving North Korea is deteriorating.  From Fox: 

The U.S. decision to send equipment needed to set up a controversial missile defense system in South Korea is likely to add to tensions with Beijing and Moscow, countries that have spoken out in the past about deploying the system.

China said Tuesday it would take measures against the U.S. missile system deployed in South Korea, and that the U.S. and Seoul would bear the consequences.

"China firmly opposes the deployment of THAAD," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. "We will definitely be taking necessary measures to safeguard our own security interest. All consequences entailed from that will be borne by the U.S. and (South Korea). We once again strongly urge the relevant sides to stop the process of deployment and refrain from going further down that wrong path."

Lou Yuan, an outspoken, retired Chinese general, wrote in the Global Times, a state-run paper, that the Chinese military “could conduct a surgical hard-kill operation that would destroy the target, paralyzing it and making it unable to hit back,” The New York Times reported.

He went on, “Since the United States, Japan and South Korea choose not to respect China’s major security concerns, China does not need to be a gentleman on everything."

Washington and Seoul says the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, is not meant to be a threat to China or Russia. The U.S. military said in a statement that THAAD can intercept and destroy short and medium range ballistic missiles during the last part of their flights.

Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean Studies at Seoul’s Dongguk University, told The Korean Times that it is “apparent that China is trying to draw its two Cold War allies to its side, at least over THAAD-related issues. It will also highlight the alliance between South Korea and the U.S. as well as their ties with Japan as part of tactics against THAAD.”

COMMENT:  Pretty nervy of Beijing to accuse us of provocations, although I'm sure the hard left in America will support the Chinese position.  The THAAD deployment is designed to reassure South Korea of our support in light of recent North Korean missile tests. 

North Korea is a rogue regime, far less shrewd than Iran, and already equipped with nuclear weapons.  One clash on the Korean peninsula, even if unintended, could have enormous consequences.

At the same time, this may well turn out to be Trump's first foreign-policy crisis.  He must be firm, but not reckless.  It is common for foreign enemies to test new American presidents.  Stay cool, but strong.

March 7,  2017