I was tough on Bill Clinton (and Hillary Clinton) during the 2008 campaign, on my blog and on the radio. Like many African-Americans, I had what you might call a disharmonious divergence from my former status as a "Clinton Democrat," due to the harshness of the primary campaign with Barack Obama. So I think it's only fair that I be equally effusive in praising the former president when he does good. Well, Bill Clinton, you "done good."
According to NBC's Andrea Mitchell (on MSNBC this morning), Clinton stepped in when negotiations being worked through by his former vice president, Current TV chief Al Gore, went as far as they could go -- North Korea didn't want Gore to come and retrieve the detained journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, who had been held since March. They wanted the former president. And so, this time according to CNN, after "due dilligence" and a briefing by the Obama administration, the husband of our secretary of state flew to North Korea, gave the wacky NK dictator his photo op, and brought the two women home to their families. I'm sure more details of the dramatic rescue mission will unfold (journalists love this stuff, and I'm sure the made-for-TV movie, books and feature films are already being cooked up in the minds of New York and Hollywood...) but for now, what we know is that a coordinated mission between three once disparate factions of the Democratic Party -- the Gore, Clinton and Obama wings -- came together with a phenomenal result:
I'm sure right wingers won't be able to bring themselves to be happy for the families of these women, or to join the rest of the nation in thanking the former president on behalf of all decent members of the human family. But no matter. Who needs them. Thank you, President Clinton, and congratulations on a job well done.
Once again, I think we've established that Republicans may make a lot more noise, but Democrats actually get things done.
Cross-posted at The Reid Report.
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
Thomas Rogers
Norwonk
Noahvose
neilpaul
RonP01
David A. Love
Salon.com
Comments
The lesson here that the world should learn is - diplomacy works and it can be done at many levels - all achieving peaceful results.
- rated
Kudos to her! her husband who is an absolute leader and Kudos to President Obama and administration for the fantastic work done so discreetly and SO-O well.
Well done indeed!
The real issues with North Korea will be harder nuts to crack. This thing was always mostly kabuki (though not for the two women, of course).
North Korea, however, did this as a bargaining ploy, and I want to know what bargain was struck. There will be more detained individuals, since N. Korea has a history of using detainees to extract agreements.
Oh, to be a Korean-speaking fly on THAT wall!
nice post Joy-Ann.
slick willy is my hero, a politician, yes, but one whose failings were relatively forgivable since personal. he didn't start wars for fun, and tried to bring health cover to all. even obl just got a few cruise missiles, not a death rain spreading hatred throughout afghanistan.
america will come to regard his reign as last of the golden age of empire.
Makes a hard assed agnostic like me wanna say, "Thank GOD!"
I haven't felt this warm and fuzzy toward President Clinton since my deep concern for him during his heart operation.
I think of it as Top Gun-style bi-partisanship. On a day-to-day basis, Democrats and Republicans engage in a tug-of-war for the future direction of the country. But when push comes to shove, when it's USA against the world, "We're all on the same team out there."
Throwing in cheap shots against "right-wingers," as if we don't appreciate others' love for their families, is just mean and unnecessary in this context.
My issues with the Clenis go back further. He signed DOMA and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." For this, I wrote Clinton off and never forgave him. His antics during the campaign were blatantly racist and yet, I wasn't surprised, since I have a lowly opinion of him anyway.
But, his work winning the release of these two American women was truly stellar. I think President Obama may have chosen the wrong Clinton for Secretary of State.