N KOREAN JOURNALISTS HOME: DO THEY WARRANT A SPANKING?

The tear jerking welcoming home for Lisa Ling and Euna Lee has punctuated an 140 day ordeal that saw these two journalists for Al Gore's news network Current TV, sentenced to 12 years in a North Korean labor camp. The charges were for "entering the country illegally." Former President Bill Clinton, who certainly has added a notch in the legacy belt for this, was the face of the "humanitarian " operation, and just the star power that the North koreans felt could help elevate their world standing, as well as help deflect criticism of their legal system. A system under intense scrutiny since the sentence was handed down on June 8 . The operation has been termed "humanitarian" for the start by the Obama team so as to not confuse this topic with N. Korea's nuclear arms program and bizarre testing, a topic being worked on in by other circles in Washington.

Face saving is an important step in allowing diplomatic maneuvers to appear on an even level. The Kennedy team let Kruschev back those nuclear warships up with dignity during the 1962 Missile crisis to make the incident of bringing nukes to Cuba look as though it was a misunderstanding where neither country would look stronger than the other. Empathy, equality and respect are what's needed if you want to get things done in diplomacy.

As for Obama, with the health care Senate war at a standstill, and fresh off of the Gates controversy, this diplomatic achievment comes at a good time. He needed a positive moment exemplifying leadership underlying his core principles. The journalist's pardoning highlights Obama's use of soft power and diplomacy as tools to go along with hard power,the seemingly one and only method of choice for the Bush administration.

Now, what about the journalists? So much political capital has been exhausted for these two. One ex President, alot of sleepless nights over at the State Dept, and a President who has had to expend political capital in delicately "negotiating with a terrorist" a viewpoint that opponents here in the U.S like John Bolton (Former ambassador to the UN under George Bush) will undoubtedly try and sell to the masses. Maybe Gore's Current TV should pay for the airline fuel it cost the government to free the ladies.. Maybe Lee and Ling should be suspended for a few months for wandering off of the campus during school hours.

One other interesting note. Gore and State Dep't head Hillary Clinton were not the most amicable towards each other during the Clinton White House years. Gore was reportedly often at odds with how often Hillary had Bill's ear on matters. Here they were again. Gore waiting for his pair to return home safely. Hillary trying to negotiate the release. Yet in the end, Bill comes off as the hero.

Most importantly, Lee and Ling are safe. A job well done by whoever can and will take credit for this.