Laura and Euna

While I am truly happy to hear of the safe return of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, I have some reservations about the way the situation has unfolded back at home.  Many reports seem to be unclear about whether or not the women intentionally violated the law, but at least one source describes a phone call in which Lisa Ling apologized for their illegal actions. This information is confirmed by a letter template stating the women have “confessed and apologized for their actions and their families have also apologized.”

While the women have done a lot to express their gratitude for those who participated in the efforts to bring them home, I am surprised they have not done more to express remorse for their actions and the situation that arose because of them on a larger scale. Personally, I think a public apology and a message warning others of the dangers of breaking foreign laws would be especially appropriate. Yes, I am glad they were granted amnesty and were able to rejoin their loved ones and friends, but I feel these women put the U.S. in a very sensitive situation and I’m just surprised they aren’t doing more to acknowledge that publicly. Perhaps it is too soon to expect them to film a public service announcement, but I hope to see more along the lines of apology from these two.

But what does this mean for the rest of Americans? John Bolton argues Clinton set a dangerous precedent by rescuing Laura and Euna and calls his actions “poorly thought-out.” In Clinton’s defense, obviously this mission is something that took a lot of planning and coordination. However, I agree there are other Americans in need of similar assistance who are waiting for their own knight in shining armor. What about them? Are Americans in more danger of being taken hostage now by countries that want Bill Clinton to come for a photo op? I doubt it.

I fully support what Clinton and our government did to safely return these women. Trust me, if I were in that situation, there is no doubt in my mind I’d wish for the same outcome. However, I just feel there needs to be more of an explanation about what they did wrong, and why and how others need to avoid the same fate. Perhaps this will come when the women open up about the details of their experience, reports say a book deal is already in the works.