海角大神

鈥淭he North Korean top leadership has to go.鈥�

With that bold assertion, Gov. John Kasich (R) of Ohio raised a controversial argument for American action aimed at neutralizing the North Korean nuclear threat.

鈥淎n ability to remove a number of the top people, and have a more benign leadership there that understands what鈥檚 at risk, I think is perhaps doable,鈥� Governor Kasich told reporters Friday at a breakfast hosted by 海角大神.

Kasich 鈥� the final competitor against Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 鈥� has not fully closed the door to running again in 2020, one more reason that听his views on policy command an audience. He is currently on tour to promote his new book, 鈥淭wo Paths: America Divided or United.鈥�

Amid an escalation of rhetoric vis-a-vis North Korea, Kasich suspects that his approach is under consideration by the Trump administration, though he acknowledges that he does not have access to the intelligence. To be successful, he said, the US would need 鈥渧ery good intelligence鈥� and would have to move 鈥渧ery, very quickly.鈥�

鈥淚 bet they鈥檙e thinking about it,鈥� says Kasich, a former member of Congress who served 18 years on the House Armed Services Committee. 鈥淚f I were there, I鈥檇 be asking them about it. Are you staging raids? Do you know how to land? Do you know how to get there? Are your helicopters going to work?鈥�

The Trump administration has not publicly discussed such an approach. But speaking Friday at the United Nations Security Council, that 鈥渁ll options鈥� for dealing with North Korea must remain on the table if diplomacy fails. In that aired Friday, Secretary Tillerson said the US is open to direct talks with the North Korean leadership.

On Wednesday, in an unusual move, the Trump administration summoned all 100 US senators to the White House complex for a briefing on North Korea, then provided the same briefing for House members on Capitol Hill.

But while Trump, Kasich, and others in Washington have been talking tough on North Korea, many observers have said that the likely outcome of current tensions is a gradual intensification, rather than imminent war.

Kasich on war: 'I don't think that's going to work'

Kasich鈥檚 suggestion raises legal questions, as well as the specter of history. The US has of assassination, and attempted assassination, of foreign leaders. In 1976, President Gerald Ford signed Executive Order 11905, which banned political assassination as part of a broader reform of the US intelligence community.

Kasich praised Mr. Trump鈥檚 military strike against the Assad regime in Syria earlier this month, calling it an important message to world leaders. But there comes a point when 鈥渟aber-rattling is not effective,鈥� Kasich said.

The Ohio governor also praised the US deployment of an anti-missile system in South Korea as leverage to spur the Chinese to rein in North Korea鈥檚 nuclear program. But he warned against a US military strike against North Korea.

鈥淢oving warships in and having a war, I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 going to work,鈥� Kasich said. 鈥淭he problem of bombing is, you鈥檙e going to lose a million people.鈥�

The alternative 鈥渉as to do with taking out the North Korean leadership,鈥� he said.

Senator: 'I'm willing to obliterate N. Korea's missile program'

Speaking to reporters Monday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) of South Carolina praised Trump鈥檚 foreign policy, and called North Korea a central question, but did not openly discuss 鈥渞egime change鈥� as an option.

鈥淎re you going to allow North Korea to develop an ICBM that can reach the homeland with a nuclear weapon on top?鈥� Senator Graham said. If the answer is 鈥渘o,鈥� he added, then the two basic options are diplomacy and military force.

鈥淵ou better believe I鈥檓 willing to obliterate North Korea鈥檚 missile program before I were to allow one to be built that could hit America,鈥� Graham said.

Staff writer Francine Kiefer contributed to this report.