Two men whose opinion and judgement I value much read the post "Consequences of Failure" and emailed me some comments. These guys are intimately involved in our nationally security so what they say carries weight.

Friend One writes:

I think that the North Korea matter is more complex at a micro level. Chris Hill has really done a good job - but Hannah, Addington and others (The orcs from Cheney's office ~spk) are sucking the oxygen out of the diplomatic effort. The bigger connected theme to your consequences of failure -- is the sense that many nations are placing new bets because they perceive American power floundering, or at minimum, treading water. This [both] increases their options [and] constrains ours.

Friend Two writes:

I would second [emailer one's] kind words about Chris Hill. He has apparently been unhappy when folks leak stuff to The Nelson Report that suggests he [has been] undercut; if only because the perception of lacking the support of your Secretary [of State] becomes reality in Washington. So, complexity at a micro level is something that I would have done better to note.

Finally, Shining Light in Dark Corners generally agrees with my judgement of American power in the aftermath of Iraq.

I would further note that if we fail in Iraq (yeah, I know: what exactly is failure?) we can expect further global shifts in the relations and calculations of nations, both friend and foe. Welcome to the post-Bush world.