Inside the Beltway

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By Jennifer Harper INSIDE THE BELTWAY

A FINE WHINE

Bill Clinton and Al Gore got more breathless press coverage on Wednesday than the two female journalists they liberated from North Korea.

And no wonder.

The public reunion of the former White House team was Hollywood perfect - oh, the gravitas and sincerity, the humble mien, the quiet joy. Those dignified suits and august expressions, and my gosh. Teardrops (Mr. Gore's) were shed at the height of the drama. Even the private jet that whisked Mr. Clinton to his destiny had showbiz underpinnings - it belongs to Hollywood producer Stephen Bing, who also footed the $200,000 fuel bill.

"All Americans should be grateful to both former President Clinton and Vice President Gore for their extraordinary work," President Obama told the nation from the South Lawn of the White House.

There are no medals. Yet.

"Everyone is glad the journalists are home. The way it happened, however, was humiliating for the United States," Republican strategist Ron Bonjean tells Inside the Beltway.

"Kim Jong-il said 'send Mr. Clinton and we'll release them.' So that's what we do. There's buzz around town that we were asked to cave for a terrorist country, a rogue nation. We gave them free publicity, a larger standing," Mr. Bonjean continues.

"Kim could have asked for John McCain - or Paris Hilton, for that matter. The point is, he asked and we delivered. He got what he wanted."

A FINE WINE