Great news from North Korea

[riceboy]

The two journalist that were held by North Korea is heading home to the U.S. with Bill

U.S. journalists head home from North Korea - CNN.com

This picture is almost to unbelievable.

[Dusty Chalk]

Jesus, you're not kidding (on the good news, and on the pic).

[Fing]

Bill still enjoys telling fibs - or the White House has poor communication.

[Hopstretch]

Or the North Korean state news agency is not an entirely unimpeachable source?

[swt61]

It was a tough negotiation, and in the end Bill had to give Kim Monica Lewinsky's phone number.

[aardvark baguette]

I never realized how small Kim is. Or how tall Bill is. Or something.

[screaming oranges]

They got traded for some woodied recabled phones, no doubt.

Also, that pic is screaming for photoshopped cans on them.

[bperboy]

Nice suit Kim.

[tkam]

Very good news to see them finally released.

I still say Kim Jong Il is batshit crazy.

[GPH]

Maybe Bill played a tune on sax that warmed Kim Jong Il cold heart.

The biggest comedy moment with North Korea was when Jong Il dismissed his oldest son as future nation leader because he tried entering Japan with a fake passpost to visit Disney.

[ojnihs]

still think there's going to be another war in the homeland

[Dusty Chalk]

I never realized how small Kim is. Or how tall Bill is. Or something.

I suspect that's why they're both seated. I bet it's even worse if they were both standing.

Kudos to Bill for pulling it off. I don't care what you think of him (I certainly don't), I'm glad he did it.

[xand1x]

It was a tough negotiation, and in the end Bill had to give Kim Monica Lewinsky's phone number.

[swt61]

I suspect that's why they're both seated. I bet it's even worse if they were both standing.

Kudos to Bill for pulling it off. I don't care what you think of him (I certainly don't), I'm glad he did it.

I like Bill, always have. And I think he may be quite well suited to this kind of diplomacy.

There's no denying his sharp mind and speaking ability.

[blessingx]

Not everyone is happy.

[Grahame]

kim jong il was just a little ronery.

Indeed.

[grawk]

Not everyone is happy.

I agree with the author, but it is one of the things obama promised he'd do if elected. One of his stated goals was to have the US negotiate openly with rogue states whether or not it was actually in our best interest to do so.

[CarlSeibert]

Obviously, I'm a little prejudiced. But nobody should get kidnapped or killed just for doing their job. If some famous guy can get somebody back without anybody dying in the process I'm all for it.

I don't think this was a "negotiation" between states. Any notion of significance that the gesture might have had resides in the minds of Kim, who is batshit bananas, or Washington Post Op Ed columnists, who are.........well, ah, sometimes, yeah.....batshit crazy.

I say welcome home to the hostages!

[morphsci]

Not everyone is happy.

Wow, the Washington Post has certainly been hit hard by the newspaper crisis. I thought I was reading a story in the National Examiner.

[grawk]

That "batshit" "newspaper columnist" was the US Ambassador to the UN...

[bperboy]

That "batshit" "newspaper columnist" was the US Ambassador to the UN...

I think he has a point.. in all seriousness, we still have no idea what Clinton did or said to get those reporters released. I'd sure like to know what prompted the 'batshit' dictator to release them.

[tyrion]

Nevermind

[Quadrangulum]

Bolton is also one of the few people ever to lose Senate confirmation for that particular post.

In regards to Kim Jong Il's motivation -- I don't think it's a stretch to imagine that Bill Clinton's mere presence was enough as it probably makes his regime seem more legitimate in his eyes and because Bill Clinton represents a period before our relations with North Korea turned frigid.

[morphsci]

That "batshit" "newspaper columnist" was the US Representative Ambassador to the UN...

Oh, that explains why he can only write a story based upon speculation, supposition and sanctimonious platitudes.

Edited August 6, 2009 by morphsci

[grawk]

It's an op-ed piece, and all diplomacy is impacted by speculation, supposition and sanctimonious platitudes, especially when dealing with batshit dictators (north korea not being the only one we have to deal with).

I think Clinton put his friendship with Al Gore over the best interest of the country, and Obama was just going along because it was in line with what he campaigned on. We'll see long term if it has any impact.