2 journalists sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in North Korea have just landed in Burbank, CA. Former president Bill Clinton went to Korea and negotiated their release. Much is being made of Clinton being the come-back kid.
These are strange times in history. President Clinton is of course the husband of the current Secretary of State. Much is being said about Clinton being on a rescue mission for Obama.
While we are all glad that the journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, are home safe and sound, I am sure much will be said in coming days about this chain of events. What do our contributors think?
The reports coming out yesterday stated that the release of the two journalists had already been negotiated over the past several months and that N. Korea simply requested that Clinton be the one to take custody of them. I don’t recall if he had to make a formal request when he arrived.
Once again, history repeats itself.
Madeleine Albright anyone?
I mean, different issues, but Kim Jong il got what he wanted.
If we’re going to have a policy of appeasement, just make it clear.
Yea but why try to apply logic to the illogical and insane?
We are helping to legitimize the illogical and insane.
@Mando
Our full spectrum of politics already legitimized “illogical and insane” years and years ago.
If you want to stop the progression of illogic and insanity you have to stop feeding the beast called “Politics”
These two women who were imprisoned unjustly are now free, but some users happiness about this return freedom by their fellow citizens is being gagged by their compulsion to fine fualt in every situation due to the illogic bondage of politics.
People living as thought slaves in a free nation… completly illogical and devoid of sanity, but it is the truth of the USA today.
Anyone find it interesting that Kim decided to wait for a liberal president before shifting the propaganda machine into overdrive?
Coincidence?
I know that he knows he’s going to croak soon and wants a smooth transition of power for his son, but he’s known that for at least a year or so.
One has to believe that he was biding his time for a more accommodating US president.
Acording to the NYT, Kim said that when his father died, Clinton had sent him a letter of condolence. This apparently stuck with Kim as a humanitarian act. In other words, he needed an excuse. But it is nice to think that common decency is remembered and might serve us well in the future.
Look at the good will people felt towards George Bush after his gracious, decent personal behavior during the transition.
“But it is nice to think that common decency is remembered and might serve us well in the future.”
We should be showing common decency to a megalomaniac that starves/imprisons his own people so he can drink cognac and watch porn? Should Pol Pot been shown common decency?
Ha ha – it seems that every cloud’s silver lining has to be obscured by a thunderstorm.
The issue with North Korea is much bigger then two journalists. It’s about nukes getting into the hands of people that would like to wipe us off the face of the globe. Legitimizing the crazy little bastard only makes matters worse.
On a lighter note, I wonder if Clinton said anything to Kim about insulting his wife?
How can anyone, but breathe a sigh of relief, over the freedom of these journalists. Yeah, bush did a great job dealing with north korea, oh, wait, that’s right, kim actually became MORE dangerous during the Bush years.
Mando, probably not. I dont think you can treat Kim like a normal person. I think we all agree that North Korea is far more dangerous than just this story. However, I am very glad we rescued the journalists. What we do really doesn’t matter. North Korea has no credibility with any other country in the world. And if there was ever a person who could bull sh!t his way through something like this, it would have to be Bill Clinton. That is one of his most endearing traits.
Bill Clinton sure had his moment in the sun today, that’s for sure. I’m not a fan of his, but however this came about, am very happy these two journalists are home. Had the American government not been able to secure their release, it would’ve looked bad, in my opinion. Seeing the mother reunited with her preschool daughter was such a wonderful moment and I’m glad these two Americans are home safe and sound. (Even if it was good ole Bill who brought them home.) 🙂
Mando, North Korea claims it already has nuclear weapons. It has claimed two tests. If that is true, it is not a case of nukes getting into anyone’s hands. It’s happened, and it is spreading its technology to other regimes. One thing I have noted about your posts is that you don’t suggest what you would do in the face of the NK threat. You don’t even mention the real targets, ie. South Korea and Japan. I would think their interests have to come first on how to handle NK, not a faraway superpower (even given our substantial troops on the peninsula).
So what would you *specifically* like to see done, and how would you justify doing things that SK and Japan might disagree with? This is a genuine question. Give us the Mando as secretary of state response.