Let's see if we have this straight: There could be a nuclear war between the United States and North Korea because the country's leaders got in a slanging match that never elevated itself above the rhetorical sophistication of a schoolyard tiff?

Hey little Rocket Man! I'm going to kill you and your whole family.

Just try it, dotard!

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Maybe I will!

Go ahead and see what happens. Just remember, you started it!

What a way for the world to end – as the consequence of a miscalculation by a posturing U.S. president who failed to understand his adversary, and consequently played into his hands.

Why does President Donald Trump not get it that North Korea's hereditary dictatorship is permanently at war with the U.S.?

Read also: North Korea's nuclear arsenal: What's happened so far, and what could happen next

Every single one of the country's 25-million oppressed inhabitants is taught from childhood that America wants to destroy them and their country, and that only the diplomatic and military genius of Dear Leader prevents that from happening.

It's perfectly acceptable for the President to play a firm hand with North Korea. Let's never make the mistake of thinking that the U.S. is the villain in this piece. North Korea is little more than a jail for its people, and a plaything for Kim Jong-un and his friends

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But by sinking to insults and threatening on Twitter to destroy North Korea, Mr. Trump's low-info, tough-guy bluster has given Mr. Kim the opening he wants.

On Monday, North Korea's foreign minister said that the President's threats mean that the U.S. has declared war on his country, and that North Korea has the right to shoot down U.S. bombers.

Escalation seems inevitable. Unless this dispute is turned over to adults, such as Mr. Trump's military advisers, or diplomats from other countries serving as intermediaries, a disaster could occur.

This crisis calls for the quiet resolve that comes from being stronger and smarter than your enemy, not for the antics of a schoolyard bully.