“It’s a significant breakthrough. But it could easily have been accomplished two and a half years ago, had President George W. Bush been willing…Had he signed this rather innocuous joint statement back then (it wouldn’t have harmed our national interest to forgo an option — invading North Korea — that we were never going to exercise in the first place), the next steps toward an arms-control treaty would have been much easier than they will be now.” Slate‘s Fred Kaplan realistically assesses the good news — and work ahead — in North Korea.