There's a definite shift of something going on at the White House because they rolled out this offer to North Korea:

The United States has offered a detailed package of economic and energy assistance in exchange for North Korea's giving up nuclear weapons and technology, American officials said Tuesday.

But the offer, made last week during two days of intense talks in Beijing, would hinge on North Korea's agreeing to begin dismantling some of the equipment it is using to expand its nuclear arsenal, even before returning to negotiations.

...
The incentives offered by the United States include food aid from the United States, Japan and South Korea, a senior administration official said.

The offer is significant because...[h]awks in the administration, particularly in Vice President Dick Cheney's office, have long opposed what they call "rewarding" North Korea for its nuclear test.

So, after six years of idiocy, pretending they could just dictate what they wanted and everyone else would fall over themselves catering to their whims, the Bush administration is bringing back the policy we originally had in place. The policy they criticized and abandoned, calling the former agreement a "pay off" to the North Koreans. The only problem is the North Koreans have been busy these six years. While Bush and his lot have been waving their fists impotently, the North Koreans have been making nuclear weapons. Weapons they didn't have six years ago. Weapons they would have been less likely to produce had we stuck with the policy that was already in place.

Way to go, fuck-ups.