US LAWMAKERS VISITING PYONGYANG (Korea Times)

This is an important development. Rep. Curt Weldon, although a Republican and a hawk, has been trying for years to convince the Bush administration to speak directly to North Korea and negotiate an end to the nuclear "crisis" on the Korean peninsula. As part of a deal, Weldon has proposed the construction of an oil pipeline from the Pacific region of Russia through North and South Korea. This would allow the DPRK to earn cash and incorporate parts of its economy into the regional economy of wider East Asia. We'll see if these hawkish Republicans have any influence on Bush, who apparently wants North Korea to just go away.