Editor 's note : Joseph Cirincione is president of Ploughshares Fund , a nonprofit organization that makes grants to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons , and the author of `` Bomb Scare : The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons . '' He formerly was a senior vice president at the Center for American Progress , a think tank that describes itself as `` progressive , '' and was on the staff of the House Armed Services Committee . Joseph Cirincione says Clinton 's trip was the culmination of diplomacy his adminstration began 15 years ago . ( CNN ) -- President Clinton did more than free two unjustly jailed journalists . He jump-started the successful diplomacy he had begun 15 years earlier . In October 2000 , then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright visited Pyongyang . During Bill Clinton 's presidency , the administration had locked down North Korea 's plutonium production program , which had created enough deadly material for two bombs during the Reagan years . They had stopped all missile tests . They were a few details away from concluding a deal to end these programs completely . But Clinton ran out of time . Enmeshed in Middle East peace talks , Clinton could not get assurances that a presidential visit to North Korea would seal the deal . He passed off the almost completed process to the incoming George W. Bush administration . On March 6 , 2001 , new Secretary of State Colin Powell said , `` We do plan to engage with North Korea to pick up where President Clinton and his administration left off . '' But Bush had different ideas . On March 7 , Bush kneecapped Powell . With South Korean President Kim Dae-jung sitting next to him in embarrassed silence , Bush said , `` We look forward to , at some point in the future , having a dialogue with the North Koreans , but any negotiation would require complete verification of the terms of a potential agreement . '' The conservative ideologues in the administration froze all discussions with North Korea for an 18-month review . Clinton 's hard-earned diplomatic wins were replaced by the Bush Doctrine , summed up by Vice President Dick Cheney : `` We do n't negotiate with evil ; we defeat it . '' The United States would instead overthrow difficult regimes . Serious options for diplomacy with North Korea were set aside . Negotiations were appeasement , the new administration believed , not a tool to advance American security . Then-Undersecretary of State John Bolton said in 2002 and repeats to this day , `` We 're not going to reward their bad behavior . '' The strategy backfired . North Korea expanded plutonium production , exploded nuclear bombs , tested new missiles and traded nuclear technology to Syria and possibly Burma . North Korea 's nuclear and missile programs advanced more in the George W. Bush administration then they had in the Reagan , George H.W . Bush and Clinton administrations combined . Whether by accident or design , the Obama administration reset the diplomatic stage . Administration officials largely ignored North Korea for their first eight months in office . Kim Jong Il responded with provocative statements and actions . It almost spiraled out of control . But the Obama administration 's patience -- or just policy drift , we may never know -- paid off . Kim Jong Il 's regime got weaker and more isolated . North Korea 's main partners , China and Russia , turned against it , the U.N. Security Council imposed tough new sanctions , and Kim 's own health deteriorated . Now in a weaker position than at any time in his regime , Kim Jong Il has been on his best behavior for the past few months . This was the time for a power play , and Obama executed perfectly . He chose as his special envoy the most prestigious political figure in America outside the administration . It is a move that was sure to please the North Koreans , showing them the respect they crave , without costing America anything . To capitalize on this breakthrough , the Obama administration must now continue to play large . It should show North Korea what good relations with the United States can lead to . Clinton 's 20 hours in Pyongyang could pave the way for renewed diplomatic efforts , including direct dialogue between the United States and North Korea , the re-freezing of North Korea 's nuclear program and even North Korea 's return to the six-party talks . However , in dealing with the North , actions are more important than words . The Obama administration must seize this moment as an opportunity not only to articulate a plan for North Korean nuclear disarmament but to take concrete steps towards a secure and stable Korean Peninsula . The president should use the momentum Clinton 's trip has generated to unfold a comprehensive , consistent regional security strategy . With this success , Bill Clinton has demonstrated what effective diplomacy looks like . He has shown the former Bush officials what they should have done years ago . He may have convinced senior White House strategists that diplomacy is a political winner , paying dividends across issue areas . Two power players , Obama and Clinton , have together taken a giant step forward , advancing the agenda Clinton began 15 years ago . America is the better for it . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Joseph Cirincione .
Joseph ##son : Clinton administration started outreach to North Korea . He says Bush administration cut it off , saying U.S. does n't deal with ' it ' He says Clinton 's successful trip shows effectiveness of diplomacy . Cirincione : Obama administration must take moment for further progress .