Posted by
EWRoss on Tuesday, August 04, 2009 4:00:00 PM
We can
only speculate for the moment what behind-the-scenes deal was struck between
the United States and North Korea for
Kim Jong-Il to release Americans Euna Lee and Laura Lin from incarceration. I doubt,
however, that Kim was satisfied with just a picture of himself and former
President Bill Clinton.
While all
Americans should be happy to see these two women journalists released from the
national gulag we call North
Korea, we have to question what price the
Obama administration paid for them. Kim, as inept as he is at running his
country, has been a master at manipulating the United States. From the moment Lee
and Lin were arrested they were a bargaining chip for Kim to play at the most
opportune moment. While Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has stated that the
release of the two women and North Korea's
nuclear program should remain separate, it's difficult to imagine that the
nuclear issue did not come up during Clinton's
discussions with Kim.
Also, the reason the US Government
does not pay ransom to terrorists or make concessions to rogue states is because by doing so it
puts a price, monetary or political, on the head of every American. Three Americans were recently
arrested in Iran.
What price must we now pay for their release? As soon as Lee and Lin are safely
back on American soil the Obama administration should fully disclose to the
American people the substance of all agreements made with North Korea for Lee
and Lin's release.
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