(CNN) — North Korean President Kim Jong Il has pardoned and ordered the release of two U.S. journalists, state-run news agency KCNA said Wednesday.
The announcement came after former U.S. President Bill Clinton met with top North Korean officials in Pyongyang to appeal for the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who had been arrested while reporting from the border between North Korea and China.
“Clinton expressed words of sincere apology to Kim Jong Il for the hostile acts committed by the two American journalists against the DPRK after illegally intruding into it,” the news agency reported. “Clinton courteously conveyed to Kim Jong Il an earnest request of the U.S. government to leniently pardon them and send them back home from a humanitarian point of view. “The meetings had candid and in-depth discussions on the pending issues between the DPRK and the U.S. in a sincere atmosphere and reached a consensus of views on seeking a negotiated settlement of them.”
The report said Clinton then conveyed a message from President Obama “expressing profound thanks for this and reflecting views on ways of improving the relations between the two countries.” But White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters in Washington before the announced agreement that Clinton was not carrying any message — written or oral — from Obama. Gibbs added that the former president last spoke with Obama during a White House visit in March. He described Clinton’s trip as a “solely private mission to secure the release of two Americans.”
The report from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the nation’s official name, described the agreement to release the journalists as “a manifestation of the DPRK’s humanitarian and peace-loving policy”.
You gotta love the comedian who wrote that. But seriously, if Bush was president, they would have been left to rot.
#65, ‘dro,
RE: #61,
Disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing is not an admirable trait.
RE: #62,
Posting a comment out of context and not linking to the comment is bullshit. It is a demonstrable indication to the weakness of the argument or point you don’t have.
RE: #63,
Please learn the difference between a fact and an opinion. Pretending they are the same, especially the way you do it, is a true character flaw.
*
So how do you like the idea that America might follow the Cuban model on health care. Wow, can you picture it? The US might just get the same great care, longevity, and birth survival to be found in Cuba. Hell, we could even import some of those Cuban physicians like so many other countries have done.
Alt headline #4 in a series..
“Kim Jong II releases hostages in exchange
for Clinton’s little black book and intern pick up tips, -Film at 11”
in other thoughts..
-me thinks its safe to say clinton earned himself a BIG FAT IOU from the obama administration. it will be interesting to watch how the payback evolves.
who knows, maybe he’ll ask him to let hillary piss inside the tent for a change.. (yeah right)
-s
#67, ‘dro,
The source of the comment is right in that post. I’m not at fault if you’re too lazy to go there.
Once again you demonstrate your ignorance. You did NOT cite a source of any quote.
The only things in Venezuela are steers and queers. I read that on the internet. Look it up. Since hooves make it impossible to type on a keyboard, that leaves you the other.
# 15 chris said, in part:
“The way the media, and specifically Al Gore, ignored this is huge flaming demerit.”
You don’t think Gore burned up the phone lines to his old friends and allies the Clintons over this? I think he called in every favor he could think of to get this done. I think he purposely avoided any public comment because the North Koreans are known to be _very_ sensitive to that kind of thing and he didn’t want to bollix things up any worse than they were until something could be done.
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# 41 Glenn E. said, in part:
“I can’t help but suspect that all these captured tourists and journalists are really CIA paid plants or pawns.”
Do you really think Al Gore is in bed with the CIA? Naw, you’re just kidding around.
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# 44 derspankster said:
“Most republican’s are now neurotic conspiracy theorists that cannot deal with the fact that there’s a black man sitting in the oval office. Everything they say, do, or think is jaded by this (to them) unthinkable reality.”
BINGO!
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#53 pedro, yes, I would rather “live in a peaceful world than bend over to terrorist threats.”
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Many and various posters, re Carter: Regardless of the successes and failures of his administration, Former President Carter is the best ex-president we’ve had in my lifetime, possibly ever. Former President Bill Clinton has a lot of work ahead of him if he wants to equal or exceed that record.
#71, ‘dro,
A Cuban passing judgment on an American President over people who lived through his Administration. Ya, right. Cuban are better than that.