North Korea's sinking of the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan in March was part of its process of establishing the succession of leader Kim Jong-il's son Jong-un, CIA Director Leon Panetta told ABC on Sunday. The attack was apparently intended to establish Kim Junior's credibility, he said.
| Leon doesn't really know that, but no one else has a better idea of why the Norks sank the corvette other than that the Norks are bat-shit crazy ... |
"Our intelligence shows that at the present time there is a process of succession going on. I think that could have been part of it, in order to establish credibility for his son," he said.
"That's what went on when [Kim Jong-il] took power. His son is very young. His son is very untested."
| Even if it isn't true it could be an interesting card to start repeating this, just to see what certain generals in Nork-land do ... |
Panetta said Jong-un "does not have the kind of credibility with the military, because nobody really knows what he's going to be like." "I think... part of the provocations that are going on, part of the skirmishes that are going on are in part related to trying to establish credibility for the son," he added. |