President Clinton meets Lil' Kim (US JOURNALISTS PARDONED)

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Thread started 08/04/09 11:57am

Mars23

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President Clinton meets Lil' Kim (US JOURNALISTS PARDONED)

http://www.nytimes.com/20...ea.html?hp

Former President Bill Clinton met on Tuesday with Kim Jong-il, the reclusive and ailing leader of North Korea, while on a visit to negotiate the release of two imprisoned American television journalists, North Korean state media reported.

The high-level meeting, along with welcoming gestures from the regime, added to speculation among analysts in Seoul that North Korea, after months of raising tensions and hostile rhetoric towards Washington, may be ready to return to dialogue with Washington.

That notion was reinforced by North Korea’s Central TV, which reported that Mr. Kim and Mr. Clinton “exchanged a broad range of opinions on issues of mutual interest.” Tensions have been high since a nuclear test by the North on May 25 and the subsequent American-led effort to impose international sanctions against the North.

Administration officials sought to temper suggestions that Mr. Clinton would engage in sweeping discussions with Mr. Kim about North Korea’s nuclear program. His brief, one official said, was strictly limited to the imprisoned journalists.

I don't think for a minute that this is strictly a private mission. But this is the part that really bummed me out:

In December, 2000, the last days of his presidency, he came close to traveling to the country in hopes of striking a deal to contain North Korea’s missiles. Mr. Clinton ultimately decided not to go because the deal was not pre-cooked, and his advisers feared he would be appearing desperate for an end-of-presidency deal.

Now let's say he had gone and struck a deal. Would it matter that it was a "desperate end of presidency deal"? It sucks that a president has to worry about how opponents and the media will portray them when the possible outcome could have been a non-nuclear N. Korea.

This is untoward! This is not toward!

JellyBean	That is cool for the two journalists. In defense of Bill Clinton. Dude could have went to North Korea, struck a deal, and once Bush II came into office, that deal would have been tossed. “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a Communist.” Brazilian bishop Dom Hélder Câmara
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suga10	President Clinton has just upstaged President Obama. Lee and Ling have just been released and pardoned. http://www.huffingtonpost...50682.html [Edited 8/4/09 12:53pm]
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JellyBean	It is a victory for these young ladies. I am pretty sure that president Obama doesn't care who gets the credit, just as long as these ladies are safe, returning home soon, and are in good hands. “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a Communist.” Brazilian bishop Dom Hélder Câmara
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SoulAlive	See what happens when the Dems are in charge? We don't rush to war,we negotiate,we discuss and we work problems out,without risking any lives
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