Albright: Clinton invited N. Korean leader to D.C.

The Associated Press

During the final hectic weeks of his administration, President Clinton secretly invited North Korean leader Kim Jong Il to come to Washington in hopes of building on progress the two countries had been making in easing a half- century of hostility.

Kim turned down the invitation, according to Clinton's secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, who had met with Kim in October 2000 during a groundbreaking visit to Pyongyang.

Albright's account appears in her new book, "Madam Secretary," excerpts of which are published in the September issue of Vanity Fair magazine. ---

Over the last few months, the North Koreans also have withdrawn from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and taken steps to revive a dormant plutonium-based weapons program.

Well before those disclosures, President Bush had made clear his contempt for North Korea. Just 14 months after Clinton had invited Kim to the White House, Bush listed North Korea as a member of an international "axis of evil." ---


We are going to change history -- we're going to have a ton of fun doing it.

conciliatory ways and tried to effect a peaceful solution with the Korean leader...How much easier we in the rest of the world would rest if we didn't have to worry about the belligerent foreign policy of Bush....What a mess he's created in such a short time!!!

about N.Korea and the utter progress that was made during Clinton's term, and how Bush promised to keep open talks and LITERALLY one of the first things he did as president was to cancel, revoke, un-sign, etc, EVERYTHING that Clinton had done.

And Frontline was very careful to point out how "advantageous" pissing off N.Korea has been since 9/11, and I think they did a wonderful job of showing that the Bush Administration has been 'planning' all the bad things that are happening/have happened long, long ago