Rodman to Obama: Call Kim Jong Un

They both like basketball, so 'let's start there'
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 3, 2013 10:46 AM CST

Maybe we should sic Dennis Rodman on the Middle East next, because he's apparently found the diplomatic solution in North Korea: Fresh off his "basketball diplomacy" trip to Pyongyang, Rodman stopped by ABC's This Week this morning to give George Stephanopoulos the scoop on his new BFF (and party buddy), Kim Jong Un. And much like a conflicted teenager, Kim “wants Obama to do one thing: Call him,” Rodman said. “He said, ‘If you can, Dennis—I don’t want [to] do war. I don’t want to do war.’ He said that to me.” As for what the two leaders might talk about, Rodman said, “[Kim] loves basketball. And I said the same thing, I said, ‘Obama loves basketball.’ Let’s start there."

As an ABC analyst somewhat incredulously noted that Rodman knew more about the North Korean strongman than anyone at the CIA, Stephanopoulos pushed the former NBA great on Kim's human rights record. "I’m not apologiz[ing] for him,” Rodman said. “You know, he’s a good guy to me. Guess what? He’s my friend. I don’t condone what he does [but] as a person to person, he’s my friend.” And apparently Rodman isn't putting his passport away yet: “I’m not like a diplomat. I’m [going to] go back, do one thing and find out more, what’s going on. Find out more.” (More Dennis Rodman stories.)

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