former president, bill clinton, meets with jim jong-il to negotiate the release of two captive american journalists. look at these pictures. you think mr. clinton is freelancing or working on behalf of the white house? is he doing this on his own or for president barack obama? let me know. i would be interesting on your take. we do an aftershow now. the conversation continues here right at 4:00. it is on cnn.com/live. so much going on. stay with us. we're going to let you see what dignified transfer looks like when we come back as well. hold on. i'm being told we have breaking news coming into us right high now. >>> according to what we are getting right now, stay with me, folks, i want to make sure i read this right. you want me to read what's in the yellow right here? thanks. kim jong-il, stay with me here, has just ordered the chairman of the national defense commission on granting a special pardon to the two american journalists who have been sentenced to hard labor. this is in accordance with article 103 of the socialist constitution by releasing them. this is information -- this i

is jim kim jong-il going to demand that -- >> what i find interesting the diplomacies about finding not where the zero sum operates because that's where you get nothing done. one side is going to lose, one side wins. when one side gets something big to them. you know, earnest honinger, head of east germany, all he wanted all his life was to come to the united states and be received at the white house. all his life. in other words, you think communists think they're better than us? they don't. they know we're pretty damn good. in an odd way we have prestige that we can use. every time we give prestige to somebody, i don't think it necessarily brings us down. >> i agree to this extent. there's enormous prestige but he's the former president of the united states and you played that card and did you play it wisely in terms of what's happening in asia. >> bob, you're up there in hillary-ville. new york is clinton-ville. i have to deal with people all the time who seem to be in that sphere of the clintons up there. is there now going to be a bigger role for bill clinton in our world? >> i don

we did have an extensive meeting with jim jong-il. government to state our policy and i think we tried to reiterate what u.s. policy was with respect to denuclearization of the korean peninsula. i won't get into the details of those conversations. again, i think that this was primarily a -- really, it was a humanitarian mission in which we were trying to get these young reporters back to the united states. we were successful in doing that. now it's up to the -- it's up to the administration to take whatever steps forward that they consider are appropriate. >> john, let's talk about the energy summit and why you're in las vegas. what's the focus this time around? green jobs in particular? >> yeah. last year we focused on renewable energy and transmission. we've seen some movement on that front with the stimulus package that passed at the beginning of the year. transmission legislation that's moving forward. this year we're focused on two things. one, retro fitting buildings in the united states, which could put a lot of people back to

but on the whole, i am sure no negotiations took place, but possibly president clinton and jim jong iler face-to-face bilateral discussions on our differences. no discussions per se there. but since we haven't been talking, since relationship is frozen, since we've just had acrimonious tirades against each other, it's a good step forward. >> it's interesting. there are critics, including john bolton who said that clinton's visit undermined the public stances taken by his own wife. he also went onto said comparatively close to negotiating with terror. what do you think? >> well, that's the policy that some in the previous administration, like ambassador bolden proposed. it got us a north korea that is negative, that is sullen, that is built more nuclear weapons, that is shooting underground missiles. >> well, yeah, there was an agreed frame work where north korea temporarily reduced their nuclear arsenal. at least the two countries were talking. it fell apart as some negotiations do. but my point here is that not talking to them has resulted in north korea becoming more hostile. talking

in north korea and i'm sure he will be debriefed on that, as well, ann, the condition of jim congre kim jong-il, as well. president obama is going to address the nation with some comments in about six to eight minutes on the south lawn. we look forward to hearing what he had to say. to say there are a lot of winners here, the administration also are winners in this, as well. so many negotiations we now understand going on behind the scenes for the past four-plus months to try to get these women out of north korea. >> i think andrea brings up a very excellent point. why is it that the secretary of state is still calling this a private humanitarian mission when we are now hearing from a report from savannah guthrie and also others that there was a very deep, involvement by this obama administration that, in fact, it really was not a separate mission at all. so why is it that the administration is trying to keep this separate when, in fact, it looks like it was not? >> ann i think what they're saying is something different. what they're saying is we were deeply involved. we know this from the stat

. >> your husband thent more than three hours with jim congrekim jong-il. he's the highest ranking person to visit north korea in decades. is that really a possible breakthrough? >> well, we don't know. i mean, that wasn't the purpose of it, and it certainly is not anything we're counting on, because the obama administration has to deal with north korea going forward. but i hope that north korea makes the right choice. >> so there were talks between the united states and north korea? that's a step. >> well, we do have some channels to talk with north korea, and as the background briefing received from high administration officials made clear overnight, when the message came to us from the young women themselves to their families, to former vice president gore, and then to the administration, that sending my husband would be the best way to ensure their release, of course we took that very seriously, discussed it, the white house reached out, as they said, to my husband to ask him if he'd be willing to do that. there were briefings about it. but in order to

jim kongil's physil condition getting better. it will eventually lead to a bett relationship. so signsre good. >> reporter: kim jong-il, the north korean leader, is thought to have suffered stroke year ago and his improving health is important better relations. he's been en at cent public engagements an is said to be enthiastic about better times with the u.s. both to help the economy of h impoverished coury and to improve rlations with the sout and the ght-wing government of president lee. the north has announced th enng of its sef-imposed blkade and the resumption of unions have dividamilies splitetween north and south which were suspended in 2007. with the launchf the naow rocket, uth korea underlining s place as a modern, progssive country. it's ligh years away fro where thnorth istoid. maybe noa change of heartnd a willingness toengage with the outside wor. but wi its history brinkma brinkmannship andefiance, nothinis ever certain with north korea. tony birtley, al jazeera, seoul. >> although thatouth korean missile was suessfully launched, itfailed to propel a tellite into the proper oit. that satellite was supp

jim vance. >> and i'm wendy rieger. this pardon came this afternoon from kim jong-il at the request of former president clinton. steve handelsman has the latest. >> reporter: the official release says the former president and his party have now left north core re, a but it certainly sounds like in the party are these two american women who were locked up sentenced to 12 years of hard labor. so their families are certainly excited. and here in washington, a lot of officials, a lot of people are also hopeful that the former presidens

jim kongil's physical condition getting better. it will eventually lead to a better relaonship. so signs are good. >> reporter: kim jong-il, the north korean leader, is thought to have suffered a stroke a year ago and his improving health is important to better relations. he's been seen at recent public engagements and is said to be enthusiastic about better times with the u.s. both to help the economy of his impoverished country and to improve relations with the south and the right-wing government of president lee. the north has announced the ending of its self-imposed blockade and the resumption of unions have divided families split between north and south which were suspended in 2007. with the launch of the narrow rocket, south korea underlining its place as a modern, progressive country. it's light years away from where the north istoid. maybe now a change of heart and a willingness to engage with the outside world. but with its history of brinkma brinkmannship and defiance, nothing is ever certain with north korea. tony birtley, al jazeera, seoul. >> although that south korean missile was successfully launched, it fa

security adviser says north korean leader kim jong-il seems to be in full control of his government despite reports of declining health. that assess front jim jones on the sunday morning talk circuit. jones says former president clinton passed no official messages to north korea during his message last week to bring home two u.s. journalists. >> president obama leaves for mexico this afternoon for a summit of north korean leaders. he will meet with the leaders of mexico and canada. high on the agenda the floebl economic crisis and strategies to contain the h1n1 flu virus. that and more on "state of the union." >>> joining me now is ed henry, "washington post" reporter and arthur dan bald, he is co-author of "battle for america 2008" and jessica yellin. that's the book right here. good beach ride. to read. excellent. i saw a dramatic statement from the number two democrat in the senate this morning, dick durbin. the house and senate both missed the president's deadline to pass health care bills before going on the congressional recess. dick durbin, want to be fair to him, he said he wants that government option that the president says is so