Dennis Rodman apologizes for Bae comments

[alp227]

Source: AP

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — Dennis Rodman apologized Thursday for comments about captive American missionary Kenneth Bae in an interview with CNN.

A day after the former basketball star sang "Happy Birthday" to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and led a squad of former NBA players in a friendly game, Rodman issued the apology through publicist Jules Feiler in an email message to The Associated Press.

"I want to apologize," Rodman said. "I take full responsibility for my actions. It had been a very stressful day. Some of my teammates were leaving because of pressure from their families and business associates. My dreams of basketball diplomacy was quickly falling apart. I had been drinking. It's not an excuse but by the time the interview happened I was upset. I was overwhelmed. It's not an excuse, it's just the truth.

"I want to first apologize to Kenneth Bae's family. I want to apologize to my teammates and my management team. I also want to apologize to Chris Cuomo. I embarrassed a lot of people. I'm very sorry. At this point I should know better than to make political statements. I'm truly sorry."

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/rodman-sings-happy-birthday-north-korean-leader

---

A fact that the media won't tell you: Rodman called for Bae's release back on MAY 8, 2013.

Video:

The exchange as transcripted by CNN:

CUOMO: Are you going to take an opportunity if you get it to speak up for the family of Kenneth Bae and say, let us know why this man is being held? That this is wrong, that he is sick. If you can help them, Dennis, will you take the opportunity?

RODMAN: Watch this. The one thing about politics, Kenneth Bae did one thing, if you understand -- I got it guys (ph), if you understand what Kenneth Bae did. CUOMO: Yes.

RODMAN: Do you understand what he did --

CUOMO: What did he do? You tell me.

RODMAN: -- in this country?

CUOMO: You tell me. What he do?

RODMAN: No, no, no, you tell me. Why is he held captive?

CUOMO: They haven't released any charges. They haven't released any reason.

(CROSSTALK)

SMITH: Listen.

RODMAN: Let me do this, I would love to speak on this.

CUOMO: Go ahead.

RODMAN: You know, you got 10 guys here -- 10 guys here that have left their families, left their families to help this country in a sports venture. Ten guys, all these guys here. Do anyone understand that?

CUOMO: We do. And we appreciate that. And we wish them well with cultural exchange.

RODMAN: No, no. I'm saying -- I don't give (EXPLETIVE DELETED) what the hell you think, I'm saying to you, look at these guys. Look at them!

CUOMO: Yes, Dennis, don't put it on them. Don't use them as an excuse for the behavior that you're putting on yourself. You just basically were saying that Kenneth Bae did something wrong. We don't even know what the charges are. Don't use these guys as a shield for you, Dennis.

SMITH: Listen. Listen. Listen.

RODMAN: Shield, I got it. Let me do this. Let me -- let me. I'm going to tell you one thing. People around the world -- around the world -- I'm going to do one thing. You don't die behind the mic right now. The guys here do one thing.

We have to go back to America and take the abuse -- do you (INAUDIBLE) the abuse we're going to take. Do you, sir, let me know -- we're going to get it. But guess what though? One day, one day this dude is going to open because these ten guys here, all of us, Christie, Vin, Dennis, Charles, everybody here, if we could just open the door just a little bit for people to come here and do one thing --

SMITH: And Dennis makes a great point. There are other Americans here on this trip. You have to understand that we're not alone. We're in passage with about 50 people. They're here on the tour. We've interacted with them as well. The key is you can bait Dennis or any others --

[catbyte]

1. Rodman "had been drinking?" Uh oh, Dr. Drew...

[Journeyman]

2. I'm confused -- Are people surprised that Dennis Rodman said and did something idiotic? . . .

[TwilightGardener]

3. Increasingly epic train wreck.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

4. He tried to do with North Korea what Yao Ming did with China. Extremely laudable

but a fool's venture. Jabba the Kim is too far gone and North Korea will continue to be a sewer.

China has opened its doors before Yao Ming. North Korea is almost a hermit.

[davidpdx]

5. Rodman is still a washed up piece of shit

even if he did send one tweet asking for the release of Bae.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

6. Is he really any worse than Dems and GOP leaders

who brush human rights abuses aside to get in bed and trade with the Beijing butchers of China?

Rodman is an arrogant clown, but I'd love to see this kind of outrage directed at the U.S. policy of coddling dictators, which has done irreparable harm to both human rights and the world's economy.

[ReRe]

7. I believe most of the excuse for his behavior, except....

.... it must have been something else he was inebriated on.
I hope NK sends Bae home on the plane with Rodman.

[freshwest]

8. The problem is we aren't mindreaders. My guess is that NK's beef with Rae is that he was a foreign

soldier in the region years ago and they blame him for NK's suffering in WW2 or the Korean war, which is not over with, it's only a truce. It's a war zone and is run that way.

Was Rodman hinting that Rae wss there for organizing against KIm, or just referring the history of the USA with NK, since we were at war there?

Rae would show a fatal hubris to think he could pull anything off against Kim. And it would never be admitted by our government, so no help was coming from the USA, although the state department took care of details, no doubt about that.

I forgot why Rae was there in the first place, if he was just traveling through or having a reunion.

Giving Rodman the benefit of the doubt, he might not have been free to inflame the situation any further and told to not answer. His presence in NK may have helped set Rae free.

As news consumers, we would enjoy Rodman saying what Rae was said to be doing in NK. But Rodman had made an attempt at diplomacy.

We have to keep in context that no matter how much we despise Kim, we don't do diplomacy with allies, but we have to do it with those we don't get along with at all.

I don't know why Rodman is making an apology for being belligerent with a media person who is denying the bad blood between the USA and NK, which is why Rodman likely got rude with him. It's not a 'new day' with the USA and NK.

But the CNN guy played ignorant and instead of dealing with what the probable charges were, he elected to give Americans this damn dog and pony show of an interview.

The show didn't say anything of value, just poked and denied reality. CNN runs on sensationalism and personality clashes, not news..

No one is going to cut Rodman any slack, anyway.

[treestar]

10. Good points.

It was a stupid thing to ask Rodman to do anyway. Whatever Rodman's basketball diplomacy does, it may pave the way, or it may not. But it's useless to think Rodman can just ask Kim to let him go. He was in Pyongyang at the time of the interview, so it was really stupid to expect him to start dissing Kim on camera.

[freshwest]

11. That's right, you are seeing behind the media smoke and mirrors. n/t

[Brother Buzz]

9. Dude, listen, you really have to complete that Rehab shit if you expect to become...

Donald Trump's Secretary of State.

[MACARD]

12. in defense of Dennis Rodman

First: should he be drinking? No but he isn't a politician either, and perhaps for him that is for the best, America has really forgotten how to do diplomacy since 9/11 especially and likely long before then. so Rodman's ¨Basketball diplomacy¨ is one of the US's best Diplomatic options, its Sad, and worse that neither State Department nor CIA want to talk to him about North Korea, he Knows more about Kim Jong Un than anyone in America, because no other american has been in the same room with him.

Second: did we forget the Part where Dennis Rodman is in NORTH KOREA? there are a thousand different ways to get yourself killed in North Korea, and 900 of them have to do with Criticizing the Leadership, if Rodman says something against any of the Kims (Il sung , Jong Il, Jong Un) he could be executed for it (and that includes criticisng policy decisions). so by not engaging in Cuomos North Korea bashing, and instead giving Cuomo an Earfull he has avoided getting himself killed, and likely earned him points with Kim. dont forget, Kim Jong Un had his own Uncle killed, so i wouldn't put it past him to Kill Rodman, should Rodman engage in Kim Jong Un Bashing.

its best for Rodman to Steer Clear of Politics, he is Sadly our chief Diplomat to North Korea, with absolutely no training in the area, and has showed enough since so far not to get himself killed.

on an end note consider this, our Current Cold War with North Korea, given neither US nor North Korea Spontaneously Collapse, there are 2 was to end the Cold war:

the first, to start a War and get many Americans, South and North Koreans killed, with potentially collateral damage on Japan or China, such a war could easily spiral out of control especially if China gets involved (outsourcing has turned China into a Industrial Juggernaut far beyond the US, and China can massively expand their military and compete with ours) North Korea is Still the #5 Military Power in the world last time i checked.

the Second, Diplomacy make Peace with North Korea and Hopefully they will turn the way of China. even possibly and eventually unite with South Korea under South Korean Leadership (both Koreas want unity, the disagreement is on who leads).

now figure out which is better, War or Diplomacy?

[Pterodactyl]

13. Rodman is such a tool.