Basketball hall of famer, crazy person, and prospective foreign diplomat Dennis Rodman is continuing to wedge himself into American relations with North Korea. Rodman infamously went on a publicity stunt to North Korea earlier this year and palled around with dictator Kim Jong Un, appearing in public with a man who operates one of the most oppressive governments in the world. After returning to the states, Rodman has more or less acted as an independent conduit between North Korea and the USA. Even for Dennis Rodman, this was unexpected.
This week, Rodman tweeted that he hoped Kim Jong Un would "do him a solid" and free an American prisoner in North Korea, Kenneth Bae, who has been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor by the regime:
I'm calling on the Supreme Leader of North Korea or as I call him "Kim", to do me a solid and cut Kenneth Bae loose.
— Dennis Rodman (@dennisrodman) May 7, 2013
Now, via TMZ, Rodman is taking his own brand of diplomacy straight to the top by ripping President Barack Obama himself for his supposed inability to get anything done with North Korea. Rodman is apparently distressed that Obama can't find it in his heart to be nice and chummy with the dictator. He told TMZ:
"We got a black president that can't even go talk to Kim, how about that one. I'll put it like this – Obama can't do sh*t."
Rodman also claims he's going back to North Korea later this year to personally talk to Kim Jong Un about freeing Kenneth Bae. He also claims responsibility for the country removing missles from potential launch positions. Seriously. Dennis Rodman, yes, that Dennis Rodman, is taking credit for subduing the threat of war on the Korean peninsula.
When getting into his car, a TMZ rep asked about President Obama once again and Rodman replied – "[expletive] him!"
Cussing out the leader of the free world – not quite the definition of diplomatic.
During his playing career, I could have imagined Dennis Rodman doing any number of zany things once he decided to end his basketball playing days. Acting in those God awful original SyFy movies. Dedicating his life to professional wrestling. Living in a van out in the wilderness of Alaska to "find himself." Never would I have imagined this world in which Dennis Rodman actually thinks of himself as a foreign diplomat to a country that once earned designation as being part of the Axis of Evil.
I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a response from President Obama to The Worm, but I look into the future and wonder whether our world is crazy enough to see Dennis Rodman's name included in the history books of our grandchildren and great-grandchildren for his North Korean adventure. As it stands now, nothing would surprise me.
[TMZ]
