An American detained for nearly six months in North Korea has been sentenced to 15 years of labor for crimes against the state, the North’s state media said Thursday, a development that further complicates already strained ties between Pyongyang and Washington.

The sentencing of Kenneth Bae, described by friends as a devout Christian and a tour operator, comes amid signs of tentative diplomacy following weeks of rising tensions in the region. North Korea had been warning of nuclear war and missile strikes, an angry response to U.N. sanctions for conducting a long-range rocket launch in December and a nuclear test in February, as well as U.S.-South Korean military drills in South Korea.

Analysts say Pyongyang could use Bae as a bargaining chip as it seeks dialogue with Washington.


http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/05/...inst-the-state/

I seriously doubt Obama would even know how to "bargain" with North Korea.

Send Bill Clinton to negotiate with N. Korea for Bae's release.