Former Vice President Al Gore may be sent to North Korea to negotiate the release of two American journalists on trial, the AFP reported.
Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters for Gore’s California-based Current TV, were arrested March 17 near the North Korean border while on a reporting trip to China on charges they entered the country illegally and engaged in “hostile acts” — allegations that could draw a 10-year sentence in a labor camp. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly did not rule out the possibility of Gore being sent when asked if it would make sense for him to go.
“It’s a very, very sensitive issue, I’m not going to go into it,” Kelly told reporters. “This is such a sensitive issue, I’m just not going to go into those kinds of discussions that we may or may not have had,” he said about whether Gore himself had raised the matter with the State Department. “The bottom line is that these two young women should be released but I’m not going to go into any kind of details on what we will or won’t do,” Kelly said. North Korea was silent Friday about the fate of the journalists, who were supposed to go on trial a day earlier.
Their trial began in the communist country’s highest court at a time of mounting tensions on the Korean peninsula following the regime’s provocative May 25 nuclear test. As the United Nations and Washington discussed how to punish the regime for its defiance, there were fears the women could become political pawns in the standoff with Pyongyang.
Analyst Choi Eun-suk, a professor of North Korean law at Kyungnam University, said the court could convict the women, and then the government could use them as bargaining chips with the United States.
“The North is likely to release and deport them to the U.S. — if negotiations with the U.S. go well,” Choi said.
Hmmm, are you thinking what I’m thinking?
There is always something truly sad about the right wing nuts penchant for attacking people instead of looking a little deeper and actually reading the article. There is an old saying about “Put brain in gear before engaging mouth”. Please update this to your current condition.
The two reporters were in China. There were taking a boat along the Yalu River and photographing NK until overtaken and captured by NK border guards. NK claims they had crossed over into NK territory.
For those who are unfamiliar with the Yalu, it is a major border stretch between China and NK. For most of its length it is wide and cold but not too deep.
Why they were photographing NK I don’t know, but it could be along the lines of #12, Dusan’s comment. I suppose the only people who truly know their intentions are sitting in a NK jail cell.
I wish Al Gore a lot of good luck on his mission.
Any chance that Bush and Cheney could be sent with him to ensure ——— something?
Let you have some more names if there’s room!
THIS, could be the solution to many of the problems of the west – a sort of re-cycling.
We, surely, are all in favour of this
I’m a big fan of (dead) (ex)-heroes as you may have noticed.
#20 None as self-serving scammer as he is.
#21 Good to see you’re serving your demagogue overlords well by defending Gore & his employees.
What’s Gore to do there? tell the NK “they’re on our side, you just got ‘em wrong”. I would have said so if Jesse “The Nutball” Jackson were to go, but Gore is going for the reasons exposed by #11.
Then again, the NK overlords are the favorites of the Demagogues radical wing. Hmmmm, tough spot you’re on. No wonder you took this long to make a comment on the subject.
#22 Now, that’s an interesting though. I’d nominee #21 for that trip. You know, 2 repugblicans & 2 demagogues would fit the bill to release those 2 journalists.
#23, ‘dro,
And your point is?
NK and Chinese border, they have tours on the river that divide China a NK. There are Korean villages are not really secured but very patriot, probably Chinese merchant do some business there you don’t want to be running around with camera and interviewing people there.
Americans usually get slap on their wrist if they get arrested in other countries.
#24
1) as everyones has pointed out, Gore is a schmuck (to say the least)
2) That you’re a lefty loon who keeps attacking anyone that doesn’t see the world the way it was intended by your lords.
3) That I feel for you on how divided you must be on who & how to support in your looney bin.
I don’t wanna overemphasize you reading skills issues but, need further explanation?
Zybch, I reread your comment just to make sure. The DMZ is STILL not on the border between N. Korea and China.
The reporters were in China doing a story about people from N. Korea escaping over the border into China, and the groups in China who help them start new lives there.
The N. Koreans main products are rotgut alcohol, meth, and weapons. Somewhere along the way food was forgotten. All bad.
I think Gore is a decent guy, if a bit soft. He should have been out front on this trying to get his people back immediately. If I were the next one assigned to go to a world hot spot…. mmmm, sorry, tummyache.
One thing about Gore: Had he been elected it would have been nearly impossible for him to do a worse job than Dubya.
#20 Fat_Anarchy:
“I am afraid to say, that global warming is a scientific fact.”
Global warming and anthropogenic climate change are two separate issues. That’s the problem we have with Gore.
Good for Al Gore.
A Nobel Peace prize Winner, Time Man of Year, and Former President of the United States I wish him well in releasing those poor souls.
Curse on the shameful, loser Republicans in here with nothing better to do on a Saturday than to diss a statesman off to release an American.
Shameful picture above of a great man alerting the world on the dangerous of global warming.
#29:
“A Nobel Peace prize Winner”
like Henry Kissinger
“Time Man of Year”
like Adolph Hitler
“and Former President of the United States”
like Nixon and Bush
What great company he keeps!
#29 Ahahahahaha. Poor looney Dem. Hopefully, NK will rid us of his carbon footprint.
#29 Dallas:
“nothing better to do on a Saturday than to diss a statesman off to release an American.”
oh SCREW YOU.
Why don’t you goofballs who pull this ‘U GOT NOTHIN BETAR 2 DO THAN BE ON TEH INTARNET@!?’ attack realize that, guess what, YOU’RE ON THE INTERNET TOO!
This is just as annoying as the ‘WELL WHAT’S UR PLAN?!” logic hurled against anyone critical of (right now) Obama’s economic policy.
I imagine being in Germany, say around 1940. Being critical of Hitler’s plan to exterminate the Jews. And then some dipshit pipes up with, ‘WHAT IZ UR PLAN FOR GETTIN RID OF TEH JEWZ? NO PLAN? STFU!”
“Shameful picture above…”
waaaaah! We should treat our elected and former leaders with kingly reverence. (UNLESS THEY REPUBLIKKKANZ LOL!)
We’re just exercising that First Amendment. Feels good, don’t it?
“…of a great man…”
A great big fat man whose diet obviously has a larger carbon footprint than mine. Tax him!
“…alerting the world on the dangerous of global warming”
More like profiting on the hysteria he helps generate about global warming. If he were an oil company trying to profit from Peak Oil, you’d be foaming at the mouth.
#32 You need a spell checker and there’s something wrong with your Commodore 64 keyboard.
Also, I don’t see any relationship between Hitler’s Nazi Germany and Al Gore now quite quite unscramble the gibberish. Please try again.
#32, brm,
Your immaturity is showing again. So are you about to repeat Gr. 10 again?
As for #28,
Global warming and anthropogenic climate change are two separate issues. That’s the problem we have with Gore.
And so how did Gore create either? Most legitimate scientists agree that climate change is happening, and not for the better. Only the wing nuts and planet rapists and their bought and paid for mouthpieces are in denial that there is something wrong.
Please, I would rather you didn’t answer if you are only going to use that childish babble you used in #32.
#34 Everytime I read a wingnut like you, trying to support a cause by defending a supposed “supporter” which not only has a clear agenda behind his “ideals” but also goes over them and goes around creating excuses as to why he can do what he says shouldn’t be done, makes me laugh. So thank you very much.
You’ve been a very good dog for your cause lately. You are worthy of an extra bone.
“dro,
Have you anything original to discuss? There is ample evidence that global warming is a fact. Your entire refutation is based upon ad hominems to the messengers. You have never backed up ANY comment you make.
#36 Yes, the same way you’ve backed your. This is not the first time this topic is discussed. So, if you want evidence and discussions again, revisit old posts about it.
The topic here is how lame Gore looks not only trying to help with the release, but how late he came to help his employees.
#33/#34:
I’m acting like an idiot, because that’s about how mature Dallas’s “don’t you have anything better to do?” attack was.
I can’t help rolling my eyes when someone on a message board is all, “tsk tsk! you’re posting on the internet and that means you’re a looser because you have free time!”
It’s ironic because they’re also posting on an internet message board. And I can’t express how much that pisses me off short of acting like an idiot.
#37, ‘dro,
The topic is sending Al Gore to North Korea to negotiate the release of two journalists. It is called a diplomatic mission. There is nothing here about them being his employees.
Instead you are trying to sidetrack the issue to something you would rather baselessly rant about.
You’ve been reading too many of Cow-Patty’s and Alphie’s posts. Again, you have nothing intelligent to say.