Maybe they feel they gained in prestige by being visited by someone with international credibility and respect, but they got nothing tangible in return because he has no power, his wife does.. That prestige and a dollar will get them a ride on the bus and that's about it. Bubba could have promised them the world but since details of the negotiations were secret Obama doesn't have to deliver unless he gets what he wants in the future.

I think what actually happened is that they decided to cut their losses and deal, they had nothing to gain and everything to lose by playing hardball. Throwing a couple of pretty girls in the slammer on trumped-up charges gets you nothing in the court of world opinion, especially if they are of Asian extraction, and that gang in Korea is so isolated and impoverished that the only thing they have to deal with anymore is "face".

Still, ya gotta hand it to Slick Willie. The dude is definitely cool.