Sen. Cory Gardner: US Must Not Tolerate North Korea's 'Belligerence'

The United States must set an example when it comes to North Korea and "send a message to the rest of the world that America will not tolerate patterns of belligerence," Sen. Cory Gardner who is sponsoring bipartisan legislation on the country's actions, said in Saturday's GOP address.

The Obama Administration "has turned a blind eye to the North Korean threat ... It's time for the United States to lead," the Colorado Republican said.

"My bill is a tough rebuke of Kim Jong Un and a dramatic change in U.S. policy toward North Korea," he continued. "The goal of this bill is simple: to quell North Korea's aggression, peacefully disarm the regime, and restore human rights."

President Barack Obama signed the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act, which enacts mandatory sanctions the country into law on Thursday, but his administration has turned a "blind eye" to the North Korean threat while focusing attention on the Middle East, said Gardner.

"A rogue regime headed by a leader with no respect for human dignity, North Korea's forgotten maniac, Kim Jong-Un, has been met with indifference instead of resolve," said Gardner. "It's time to reverse this Administration’s failed policy of 'strategic patience.'"

Three of the four nuclear tests conducted by North Korea have occurred during the Obama Administration, Gardner pointed out, and earlier this month, the country launched a long-range rocket. Further, the regime is expanding its nuclear stockpile and may already possess as many as 20 nuclear warheads, has a long history of human rights violations, and has intensifed its use of cyberwarfare, he said.

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