That 72-19 “no” margin is pretty massive, but it’s good to know that 30 percent of Republicans worry that Clinton might have put more people in danger.

Good morning, everybody.  I want to just make a brief comment about the fact that the two young journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, are safely back with their families.  We are obviously extraordinarily relieved.  I had an opportunity to speak with the families yesterday once we knew that they were on the plane.

The reunion that we’ve all seen on television I think is a source of happiness not only for the families but for the entire country.

I want to thank President Bill Clinton — I had a chance to talk to him — for the extraordinary humanitarian effort that resulted in the release of the two journalists. I want to thank Vice President Al Gore who worked tirelessly in order to achieve a positive outcome.

I think that not only is this White House obviously extraordinarily happy, but all Americans should be grateful to both former President Clinton and Vice President Gore for their extraordinary work. And my hope is, is that the families that have been reunited can enjoy the next several days and weeks, understanding that because of the efforts of President Clinton and Gore, they are able to be with each other once again.

So we are very pleased with the outcome, and I’m hopeful that the families are going to be able to get some good time together in the next few days.

Thank you very much.

Look! He didn’t deny that the former president’s diplomacy rewarded North Korean behavior!

Let’s see: the United States got back two imprisoned Americans. The North Koreans got a photo op with former President Bill Clinton. Right now, Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore, Lee and Ling are finishing up remarks on a Los Angeles tarmac. There is no sense in which this outcome is “better” for North Korea. If Bolton wants to sit down with the Lee and Ling families and tell them that their daughters’ freedom wasn’t worth a few snapped pictures, that’s his right, but I wonder what their response would be.

Perhaps a better way of thinking of the situation is that there really are cases where diplomacy can succeed at minimal cost. If North Korea feels like it won something by the Clinton visit, fine. No minimally serious cost/benefit assessment can result in a conclusion that the United States lost more than it gained here. Letting the North feel like it gained something when it didn’t isn’t rewarding bad behavior. It’s basic diplomatic savvy.

QUESTION: I just want to ask quickly on Clinton –
QUESTION: Okay.
QUESTION: — if he’s really a free agent? In other words, how long he stays, what he brings up, what he discusses. We’ve had a lot of – Bill Richardson is a good example of sort of personal diplomacy, but he’s – you know, President Clinton. Is he on his own? Is he flying on his own? And can he be – thinks things are progressing, is it up to him to decide or does he have to report back and get a go-ahead or renewal of his presence?
MR. WOOD: Barry, I’ve known you a long time and I have a great deal of respect for you, but I just don’t have anything to add to what I’ve said.

The White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, put out a statement at 7:17 this morning saying “While this solely private mission to secure the release of two Americans is on the ground, we will have no comment. We do not want to jeopardize the success of former President Clinton’s mission.” Still, if there’s a State Department press briefing today [Update: It's scheduled for noon], President Clinton’s North Korea trip will surely dominate it. Speculation immediately turns to what else Clinton and the North Koreans will discuss — the North’s resumed bellicosity, the nuclear-weapons file, ballistic missiles. Even if Clinton has been authorized to speak only about Ling and Lee, two nations that have never had formal diplomatic relations and only ad-hoc encounters during moments of crisis — and, you know, a war — are bound to try to explore each other’s intentions on a host of other topics.

Under international criminal law, defendants have the right to access diplomatic officers of their own state. But American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling, detained for nearly two months, haven’t been allowed contact with Western officials since March 30. A South Korean man known only by his surname, Yu, also has been kept from any contact with officials from his country, according to the South’s Unification Ministry.

The Journal contextualizes the Lee/Ling detention within a pattern of recent belligerence from the North after the illness of dictator Kim Jong-Il. Here’s a statement from Reporters Without Borders demanding Lee and Ling’s release.