According to various sources, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is said to have received a letter from President Obama, hand delivered by former President Bubba Clinton. The White House has promptly denied that the Big O. and the Beloved Leader are pen-pals, but apparently Kim said that in order to improve his position within the North Korean hierarchy.
Bubba and Kim keeping a straight face (source: The Beeb)
Which should tell you at least two things: a) that no dictatorship runs on a strict top-to-bottom approach and is hence not a monolith and b) that Obama carries weight even people in North Korea. Which makes for a nice irony, when a leader of a country, which sees the US as its arch-enemy, gains brownie points by getting a postcard from the person, who personifies that particular enemy.
Strange times we live in…