Posted on 08/05/2009 5:07:01 PM PDT by Kaslin
Foreign Policy: We're glad former President Bill Clinton returned from North Korea with two American journalists who had been wrongly imprisoned there. But apologizing sets a very bad diplomatic precedent.
The secretive state nabbed them five months ago, and a government tribunal sentenced them to 12 years of hard labor. In North Korea, hard labor means hard labor. Had the sentences been carried out, one or both might have died in custody.
Even as we rejoice at their release, supposedly brokered by Clinton, we wonder what it means for the future. We have just rewarded North Korea — once again — for behaving badly. It's not that country's fault if we offer only carrots and never any sticks.
Yes, we're glad for Ling and Lee. But make no mistake: They weren't prisoners; they were hostages. This weakens the U.S. in any future talks with North Korea over its nuclear weapons.
Even by picking Clinton for this "private, humanitarian mission," as the Washington Post called it, the U.S. seemed to be sending a not-so-subtle signal to Kim that the U.S. is ready to appease him.
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
That article is dead on.
Easy dots to connect ...
Euna Lee and Laura Ling, reporters for Al Gore’s San Francisco-based Current TV.
Lisa Ling has become a special correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show which has featured many of Ling’s investigative pieces, including a report on North Korea. Ling’s title is “Oprah Show Investigative Reporter.”
Or, let's just be incredibly STUPID and go hiking in Iran. It's such a nice calm part of the world, and so desolate, it will be lovely until we get caught and then we can cry and whine for America to rescue us even though we should be jailed in Iran for 30 years on a charge of be mentally incompetent!!
It weakens The U.S. throughout the Far East, because we
lost face by groveling and bowing to This Maniac.
I’m thinking the entire thing is either staged, or worse: leftist reporters have immunity in thug nations.
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