Whoa. That’s just cold.
Kim Jong Il has ruled it with absolute authority since 1994. He was born in the Forties, but his exact birthday is asecret. He wears platform shoes and a teased hairdo and is reputed to have had a string of lovers, both male and female.
I only regret that Outweek did not live to see this day. And this:
As of last night, the bidding war for the first interview with the two heroines had reportedly reached “˜the mid six figures’. Book publisher HarperCollins is said to have offered a cool $1million for a “˜warts and all’ account of their life during 140 days “˜behind enemy lines’.
A movie deal will surely follow. Laura’s Scottish husband Iain Clayton, a 35-year-old mathematician turned financial analyst, told The Mail on Sunday from the steps of their modest ranch-style home in the less than salubrious suburb of North Hollywood: “˜I’m afraid I can’t say anything. No one is allowed to talk. We are in the process of doing deals and I don’t want to mess anything up. Everything is being handled by our media adviser.’
Funny, because the bidding for the bounties on the women whose faces appeared in Ling and Lee’s video probably capped out at 1,000 yuan.
The Mail on Sunday has spoken to a long-time Democratic Party insider, who is a confidant of Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, now President Obama’s Secretary of State.˜Laura is sweet but not very street-smart,’ said the insider. “˜She was sent to China to make a routine programme about refugees crossing the border from North Korea but, according to Kim Jong Il’s people, she was walking across the border and leaping about.
“˜The official North Korean report said Euna was holding the camera. Of course, there was speculation they were working for the CIA. Forget that. This has been a farce. It couldn’t be more embarrassing for Obama and the agency. No one hired these girls. No one in Washington had ever heard about them until they were captured by the North Koreans.
“˜From everything I have heard about Laura, she is a Valley girl who wanted to play in the big league.
I think she did this as a stunt to compete with her sister. Lisa Ling works with people like Oprah. Laura earns peanuts at a network no one has heard of. This was her big chance.’
The reporters weren’t kind to the Clintons, either:
The Clinton confidant said: “˜This wasn’t about the women ““ this was about a PR coup.Barack Obama may have defeated Bill’s wife but this is the Clintons’ revenge. The North Koreans are talking about nuclear disarmament but they say they will talk only to Bill. It’s a win-win situation for everyone except Obama.
Me, I’ve already wearied of the bloodsport about these two. They did something dumb, and I pray to God that it didn’t get anyone killed or sent to a labor camp. The damage they did to our foreign policy depends on how willing Obama is to take his promises (made under the duress of a hostage-holder, after all) as seriously as Kim Jong Il takes his. I’ll say in no uncertain terms that we should renege on any promises or concessions we made to get these women home. As for Ms. Ling and Ms. Lee, they can still redeem themselves, if they just get over the idea that this is all about Laura Ling and Euna Lee.At the end of the day, what do I take from this? That Euna Lee’s daughter is cute. Her mom is a fool, and I’m still glad she’s back with her little girl again. And I don’t see the contradiction in that.