I disagree. He puts a couple of Americans in jail, we jump through hoops to get them out. He gets what he wants, which is to make us react to him. Probably no long term significance, though.
Huh?
Yes, when another country has Americans captive, it's probably a good idea to find a way to free them. Negotiating hostage release is as old as warfare, and has been done by many of the U.S.'s most esteemed Generals and Admirals. Making nice with a country's leader is a small price to pay for the lives of two citizens.
Other options: 1. Do nothing, but talk big and tough about how we won't negotiate with "terrorists." We'll then continue to have two captive Americans, and the world propaganda would be "oh, look at how depraved the U.S. is. They won't even have a meeting to discuss the release of their own citizens!!!"
2. Take military action. Might appease the hawks, but it's got numerous drawbacks. Namely, we're already at war with two other countries, and we won't have international support. On top of that, we'll still have two dead Americans on our hands, so the objective is moot.
I think the current choice was the right one. Two weeks from now, no one will care that Clinton met with Kim Jong Il.
