You know I had nothing to do with the trip.

and the Supreme Leader had only one real question for Clinton: “How did you get away with it?”

Clinton replied, “The fine art of lying is a qualification for presidency.”

And then he added, “which is why I am here.”

*Which means now, we will never know what he said in North Korea.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-08/05/content_8522216.htm

Clinton left the money in the hotel lock box but while he was talking with Kim, it mysteriously disappeared. Oh well… crime happens.

Guys, btw, for Bill Clinton to be able to go to North Korea and get the reporters released says a lot:

Still there is a tremendous amount of respect for the USA even though the relationship is terrible. Imagine if the reporters are citizens of some really weak country who the North Koreans consider enemy.

1. If the ladies were not that good-looking, do you still go?

2. Did you go because your wife asked you to or she gave you a break to have more opportunity?

3. Did you bring your intern?

For your entertainment, http://tonyp4joke.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-to-save-airline-industry.html

On the other hand, those two girls should get a minimum sentence or just a fine and not 12 years hard labor. Now that they’re back in the States, we can find out exactly what happened to them when they were captured. Still, I find it ridiculous that a country’s foreign policy should be held hostage on account of a couple of people deliberately breaking the laws of another country.

I hadn’t heard about Gary McKinnon before but he seems to be autistic and as far as I can tell, he didn’t do anything evil so while he ought to be watched, I can’t see what good jail would do. But if he were extradited and then the PM asked for him back, that seems kinda weird since it’d be easier to just negotiate beforehand and avoid the exchanges.

The Gary McKinnon case:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8181100.stm

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/08/04/crippling_iran_sanctions_will_still_be_ineffective

You are going to get some of us in trouble with admin if you keeping pushing me like that!

I think originally we were doing this to make fun of WSJ. But that doesn’t mean the discussion here cannot be serious. Even as we discuss N Korea (limited digression), our differing world views may still elicit interesting disagreements.

My position on N Korea (in comment #1) was assigned. I actually do not have a strong position whether sanctions will drive democratic change, but I know that my last statement is a world-view based statement – i.e. I am thinking: is democratization necessarily good; if so, why do democracies (you know, supposedly responsible stakeholders in the international community, etc.) not necessarily produce pro-Western governments; what does that say of Western governments?

Anyways – I think this thread is a joke in some ways. But it nevertheless can (and has) lead to glimpses of meaningful discussions on our world views….

Ok. YES team wins. Apply the pocket change, then I think we will have an effective sanction.