Clinton Talks (A Little) About Rescue Mission

Altaffer/AP

Former President Bill Clinton held a press conference at his Harlem office yesterday to announce that his foundation had negotiated with three drug companies to lower the price of medicines for HIV/AIDS patients in developing countries. Of course, the press packed into room was there for juicy details on Clinton's successful mission to North Korea, which secured the release of two American reporters after five months of detention. But while clearly savoring the attention, Bubba was tight lipped on the details, telling reporters:

My job was to do one thing, which I was profoundly honored to do, as an American, and as a father: I wanted those young women to be able to come home. Anything I say beyond that could inadvertently affect the decisions and moods either here or in North Korea, or the attitudes of our allies, and I have no business doing that. I’m not a policy maker anymore.

Regarding Republican allegations that his trip bolstered dictator Kim Jong Il and involved some undisclosed "quid pro quo," Clinton reiterated that no concessions were made to the North Koreans, other than the visit itself: "I was not asked for any more; nor did I offer anymore. What the White House told you on that was factually accurate." But Clinton did reveal a bit about his flight home with the journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, explaining that they were deeply emotional and unable to sleep.

And when the plane stopped over at an American military base in Japan, Clinton said, "They got their first real old-fashioned American breakfast, huevos rancheros. And they had to be careful, since they had been on a radically different diet for almost 5 months, to measure their intake. It was basically a lovely thing." You can hear his husky voice in your ear just by reading that last sentence, can't you? The Big Dog is definitely back on top—yesterday he even surfaced on Mercer between Spring and Prince, shaking hands and soaking up the adulation. According to a report on Gawker, "People were going crazy cheering."

In today's Times, Douglas H. Paal, who was the top American representative to Taiwan under President George W. Bush, filed an editorial defending Clinton's mission, deeming it "dignified and correct throughout." Meanwhile, media outlets are scrambling to score the first sit-down with one of the journalists. Ling's sister tells the Today Show, "We’re just taking things very, very easy with her. Even getting sentences out is challenging, because she’s not used to talking as much." She did reveal that the women didn’t know the negotiations were going on, and one day before their release "they were sitting in a facility and they truly, truly thought they would be sent to a labor prison camp imminently."

Ling's sister also told CNN that the two were arrested almost immediately after entering North Korea: "She said that it was maybe 30 seconds and then everything got chaotic. It's a very powerful story, and she does want to share it." It'd be nice if she shared it soon, so the national conversation can return to important issues like the beer summit and Obama's birth certificate.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on August 7, 2009 11:03 AM

Comments [rss]

NannyState

"...and as a father: I wanted those young women to be able to come home."

Yeah, like a Daddy -their Daddy.

Kevin Walsh

I fear neither Clinton, nor Ling or Lee, will really let loose about the women's experiences or Clinton's mission, lest Junior blow a gasket and kidnap more innocents.

www.forgotten-ny.com

Spirit of 76

What makes you think North Korea won't do that anyway?

ides_of_march

"Laura Ling and Euna Lee, explaining that they were deeply emotional and unable to sleep."

Hard to sleep when you're giving thank you blow jobs all the way home.

silver

all white men have a bit of yellow fever

Rfive

You sound jealous. Scabs on your mom's mouth don't feel right today?

felixthecat2

This is the birther movement, another crazy racist neocon woman with a strange accent

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMUaca8wP9w

airtech1

Neo-Con, Neo-Lib ... yada. All new news is old news happening to new people.

felixthecat2

The Sun never shines for Fox and their right pinheads under an Obama administration. Big Dog Clinton and President Obama secure the safe return of 2 american citizens without any blood shed. VICTORY IS SWEET.

ma bell

reeeaaachinggg!!! grasping for straws!!! as fox's ratings soar and obama's approval rating tanks...

Spirit of 76

Uh huh. The Post sells well, too. That doesn't mean it's any good, like most of Murdoch's holdings. As for Obama's numbers "tanking," most politicians wish they could "tank" as badly.

ma bell

how's that kool-aid taste

echo

huevos rancheros? old-fashioned american breakfast? huh? uh, ok.

echo

I made a comment about the least important part of the article, and look at all the comments!! HA!!! That makes me smile. The pointless things people will debate. Thanks!

Spirit of 76

When you flaunt ignorance, be prepared to have it thrown back in your face. But then again, your glee seems to indicate a trolling tendency.

JenChungsBaby

Hot dogs are considered pretty darned American, and where did they originate really? Or pizza. Or ice cream.

Spirit of 76

Apple pie didn't originate in the USA, either.

Spirit of 76

Geez, guys, just because it originated in Mexico doesn't mean it's not popular in some parts of this country. As far as I know, they've been serving it down in the American Southwest for at least half a century. Stop being so provincial.

whitecastlerock

Ewww huevos rancheros after all that time away from real food? They must have had the worst diarrhea imaginable...

dr zippy

Kind of sad that you guys think huevos rancheros is some sort of exotic foreign meal. What if they had bagels and lox, which has probably been "american" for a far shorter time than huevos rancheros?

John_Matrix

if they ate bagels and lox those nudniks would consider it more proof of the government's zionist agenda and that this whole event was orchestrated by the jewish banking syndicate.

you can get a "ranch omelet" at any diner.

echo

huevos rancheros is traditionally mexican. claiming it to be our own is silly. sure, we enjoy eating it hear. it's awesome! but, i would never say it's an old fashioned american breakfast.

Guest

we own or will own all things good! DIBS!!!!!!!

echo

here. sorry. spelling while i'm also trying to work is not my forte.

longacre

And that's how we learned about the State Department's new "Mexico is Now Part of America" initiative.

Quidnam

Dude, last time I checked, "America" extends from the Arctic circle all the way down to Tierra del Fuego.

Or perhaps you're thinking of "Murracuh," the self-proclaimed identity of a xenophobic ethnic/cultural group mostly concentrated in the Appalachians and lower Mississippi watershed.

hotstepper

fail. 7 continents. america is not one of them. this PC revisionist crap needs a flush.

longacre

Thanks for the geography lesson. Now if you can find me some Mexicans who classify anything about their culture as "American" you might have a point.

echo

ha,ha,ha!! let's hope they wouldn't introduce any new initiatives like that.

hotstepper

you read my mind.

EastRiver

How was this a "rescue" mission? The North Koreans wanted to release the women and chose Bill Clinton to pick them up and do a photo op. The recovery of Ingrid Betancourt and the Americans being held by FARC was a rescue mission.

ixvnyc

Nobody gives a shit about that. Deal with it.

Tpooh2

ixvnyc, it was just a Family Guy reference, no need to get durrty :-)

ixvnyc

This was in reply to [1] | valeriob

valeriob

Dude, it's family guy. Quagmire as Clinton.

Chill out.

ixvnyc

sorry. didn't bother clicking the link.

felixthecat2

How old are you??? You are a pathetic clown.

JacqueMehoff

family guy's Bill clinton ep was one of the funniest, second to lois running for Mayor.

S.D.

I was wondering... ;)

valeriob

"My fellow Americans: I have not been entirely truthful with you. I did ga-googity that girl. I ga-shmoygadeed her ga-flavity with my googis, and I am sorry."