The Slate: The “international community” has a chance to behave as if the term were more than a polite or ironic euphemism. If there’s a single national leader in the world who likes this new development, he hasn’t said so. The U.N. Security Council quickly voted 13-0 to condemn the nuclear test. Several nonmembers have joined in the criticism. Now all we need is a next step—action.

How serious is the situation with North Korea? The Slate and I agree on the issue. Insanity. Yet what’s worse is that I don’t know what’s more insane: the fact that North Korea got to this point over the last 10 years or that the politicians are more interested in using this to advance their own respective party and campaign since election day is within a month.

I can’t believe that there’s not a more unified front in DC over this: the impact of this could make 9/11 look like the Boston Tea Party.