Former U.N. ambassador John Bolton said he does not think North Korea is capable of posing a threat to the United States, but its rhetoric and threats were "beyond their normal playbook" Thursday on Fox News.
"They've taken a number of steps, cutting off hotlines to South Korea, moving missiles around inside North Korea, all of which show that something else is going on here," Bolton said. "Not that I think there is a threat to the United States at this point. I don't think they're capable of that, but it's a complicated neighborhood over there. You've got South Korea and Japan also concerned, our troops in both countries and on Guam. So, given the nature of this regime, which is not rational in our terms, it's definitely worth being concerned about."
Bolton surmised that the North Koreans are seeking acknowledgment from the Obama administration that it is a nuclear weapons state when making inflammatory remarks like it did earlier Thursday, stating the "moment of explosion is approaching fast."
"They see a weak White House, a weak president," Bolton said. "They think they can push him into it. This is the kind of environment where a miscalculation can take place on their side or on our side."