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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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When President Barack Obama arrives in Moscow Monday for meetings with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, he will be under intense pressure to cancel US plans to build missile defense installations in Poland and the Czech Republic. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) expires on Dec 5, and Medvedev will hold a new treaty hostage in exchange for Obama's concessions on missile defense in Europe. The Democratic left will encourage Obama to make those concessions. They've been opposed to missile defense from the outset, agreeing with those, including the Russians, who believe it's destabilizing and undercuts arms control agreements. But if Obama truly believes it's time to put Cold-War thinking behind us and face the realities and treats of the future, he won't negotiate away capabilities the US needs to defend and deter against Iranian ballistic missiles armed with nuclear weapons. Unless the US or Israel does something about Iran's nuclear weapons and missile programs, their far smaller arsenal will be a greater threat to US national security than Russia's because of the greater likelihood Iran would use them. How Obama reacts to Russian and left-wing pressure to abandon missile defense in Europe will tell the American people and our enemies much about how Obama intends to defend America.

As much as Americans would like to see the popular uprising in Iran succeed, that’s not likely right now. Unfortunately, they’re not that well organized, not that well led, and completely out gunned. And despite claims by the Iranian government that the CIA is behind the demonstrations, it’s highly doubtful that President Obama has let the CIA get anywhere near the demonstrators. That’s also unfortunate. The US has a mixed record when it comes to CIA support for opposition groups in countries with governments we don’t like; and the risks are big. Then again, the risks of allowing the current Iranian government to remain in power and on course to produce nuclear weapons are even greater. At least the White House finally rescinded the invitations for Iranian diplomats to attend July 4 celebrations at our embassies overseas.

No one, not even the protesters on the streets of Tehran, knows how the popular uprising in Iran will turn out. The Iranian people, who have had enough of the oppressive theocracy that runs Iran, are up against the formidable forces of an autocratic police state. Regardless of the outcome, however, the protesters and everyone who supports them is on the right side of history.

We’ve seen all this before many times in the capitals of Eastern Europe, Moscow, Manila, Beijing, and elsewhere. It doesn’t always end well. Shouts and hastily drawn posters are no match for bullets and tanks. What tips the scales in favor of freedom and democracy is the contagiousness of the desire for them burning in the hearts of those who take to the streets to demand them. If enough people catch the fever, no government can stand against them. Support from free peoples around the world is the medium by which that contagion spreads. Whether you twitter, email, or just express that support when you talk to your friends, I assure you, Iranians on the streets will feel it.

What’s more difficult is deciding what you want your government to do. The US government has a long history of involvement in popular uprisings. It’s even started a few. There was a time when a little money from the CIA, a few well-placed operatives, a pirate radio station or two and a little luck did the trick. And if you had the Pope on your side and your name was Ronald Reagan, you could overthrow an empire. But you always have to be careful. If you misjudge, a lot of people end up in pine boxes in unmarked graves. Tiananmen, describes that situation.