Bill Clinton Wins Release of Imprisoned Reporters

What a breath of fresh air to see diplomacy triumph instead of hothead rhetoric that gets us nowhere like the last administration was fond of using. Kudos to ex-president Clinton and the Obama state department for getting the job done!...

Freed Journalists, Clinton Return to United States
Pardoned Reporters Spent Nearly Five Months Detained in North Korea

By Glenn Kessler and Debbi Wilgoren
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, August 5, 2009 9:42 AM

Two American journalists detained for nearly five months in North Korea returned to U.S. soil Wednesday morning accompanied by former president Bill Clinton, who secured their release in a rare, hours-long meeting with reclusive dictator Kim Jong Il.

Laura Ling, 32, and Euna Lee, 36, arrived on a chartered jet with Clinton at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, Calif., at about 8:51 a.m. Eastern time (5:51 a.m. Pacific). Twenty minutes later, they walked down a short flight of stairs to embrace their waiting family members, tears coursing down their cheeks.

Television crews broadcast the images live around the world as Lee hugged her husband, actor Michael Saldate, and knelt before her four-year-old daughter, Hannah. She lifted up the little girl, who lay her head on her mother's shoulder and just held on, smiling slightly as Ling shifted her weight onto her hip and turned to greet other loved ones.

"Thirty hours ago, Euna Lee and I were prisoners in North Korea," Ling said a few moments later, addressing the crowd of media and well-wishers. "We feared that at any moment we could be sent to a hard labor camp. And then, suddenly, we were told that we were going to a meeting."

She paused to stifle a sob.

Quote :

" . . . When we walked in through the doors, we saw, standing before us, president Bill Clinton," Ling said. "We were shocked. But we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end. And now we stand here, home and free."

President Obama, speaking to reporters a short time later, said he had watched the arrival on television and was "extraordinarily happy" about the safe return of the journalists.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/05/AR2009080501183_pf.html

Over on planet Wingnuttia......

Fox News Conservatives Gripe Over North Korea’s Release Of Journalists

Yeah, well Artie....didn't you notice that little twerp dictator requested Bill Clinton, only???? Not Obamba himself?

I liked Clinton a lot while he was President of the USA...he had better relations with other countries. I give Obama credit for not taking credit...just for staying out of the limelight, and doing what he had to do per that Twerp/Dictator's request to send Billy Boy....to fre those two gals.

Hey, I hit "Edit" to correct "free", nothing shows up in the Edit screen. So, excuse me....

UrRight wrote:

Yeah, well Artie....didn't you notice that little twerp dictator requested Bill Clinton, only???? Not Obamba himself?

Obama would have never traveled there,and rightly so. Kim Jong knew that.

Quote :

I liked Clinton a lot while he was President of the USA...he had better relations with other countries. I give Obama credit for not taking credit...just for staying out of the limelight, and doing what he had to do per that Twerp/Dictator's request to send Billy Boy....to fre those two gals.

Our foreign policy and respect in the world has soared since Obama took office. We got those reporters back without a shot being fired or a threat being made. All it took was a photo-op.

Anyone remember the lunatic wingnut's predictions of how the Clintions would try to undermine Obama's presidency? I guess we can put that to rest now.

Artie60438 wrote:

UrRight wrote:

Yeah, well Artie....didn't you notice that little twerp dictator requested Bill Clinton, only???? Not Obamba himself?

Obama would have never traveled there,and rightly so. Kim Jong knew that.

Quote :

I liked Clinton a lot while he was President of the USA...he had better relations with other countries. I give Obama credit for not taking credit...just for staying out of the limelight, and doing what he had to do per that Twerp/Dictator's request to send Billy Boy....to fre those two gals.

Our foreign policy and respect in the world has soared since Obama took office. We got those reporters back without a shot being fired or a threat being made. All it took was a photo-op.

Anyone remember the lunatic wingnut's predictions of how the Clintions would try to undermine Obama's presidency? I guess we can put that to rest now.

We still don't know what Nobama (aka Bill/Hillary Clinton) gave up...

LoisLane wrote:

Artie60438 wrote:

UrRight wrote:

Yeah, well Artie....didn't you notice that little twerp dictator requested Bill Clinton, only???? Not Obamba himself?

Obama would have never traveled there,and rightly so. Kim Jong knew that.

Quote :

I liked Clinton a lot while he was President of the USA...he had better relations with other countries. I give Obama credit for not taking credit...just for staying out of the limelight, and doing what he had to do per that Twerp/Dictator's request to send Billy Boy....to fre those two gals.

Our foreign policy and respect in the world has soared since Obama took office. We got those reporters back without a shot being fired or a threat being made. All it took was a photo-op.

Anyone remember the lunatic wingnut's predictions of how the Clintions would try to undermine Obama's presidency? I guess we can put that to rest now.

We still don't know what Nobama (aka Bill/Hillary Clinton) gave up...

Another one of your usual straw man arguments Kim Jong got a sitdown and a photo-op with the "Big Dog". Wake me up when you have some actual evidence that proves otherwise.

A two bit dictator the likes of Kim Jong just does not give up his two bargaining chips "just like that"...Time will tell.

LoisLane wrote:

A two bit dictator the likes of Kim Jong just does not give up his two bargaining chips "just like that"...Time will tell.

The relevant bit starts at 05:15.

It's amazing to me how some conservatives can swallow things like this and the birther nonsense which lack any evidence whatsoever, but can still be "on the fence" about things like evolution and AGW which have hundreds of years of documented evidence and analysis.