WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- It was a heartwarming sight : Laura Ling and Euna Lee landing on U.S. soil and being reunited with their families . To the elation of their families , Bill Clinton returned to the U.S. with journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee . Then , after an appropriate amount of time for hugs and kisses , Bill Clinton appeared , descending from his movie-producer friend 's plane like an angel from heaven . An emotional Ling practically referred to the former president as a messiah , describing to the media and well-wishers waiting at the airport how she and Lee thought they were being sent to a hard-labor camp , only to walk through a door to find Clinton . The crowd broke into loud applause . For all of those who wondered what Bill would do in Hillary Clinton 's diplomatic world , wonder no longer . As details of the Clinton mission came out , it was revealed that the North Koreans themselves asked for Clinton , promising amnesty for the women upon delivery of the former president , whose visit eluded them while he was in office . The deal was done even before Clinton stepped on the plane . So what is next for Bill Clinton ? If the mere thought of a meeting with him is enough to move a regime notorious for never moving , can the Obama administration use that star power to rescue three American hikers who ventured into Iran and are believed to be held by Iranian authorities ? Can Clinton head off two Russian attack submarines cruising in the Atlantic off the East Coast of the United States ? Former presidents are used as envoys and undertake humanitarian missions all the time . Then-President Clinton used former President Jimmy Carter to travel to North Korea in 1994 to negotiate the end to the first nuclear crisis . Clinton and his predecessor , George H.W . Bush , were tapped by Bush 's son , then-President George W. Bush , to lead relief efforts to help Asian and African nations devastated by the 2004 tsunami and again in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina . But the relationship between Bill and Hillary Clinton and President Obama is complex , to say the least . After a bitter-fought battle during the Democratic primaries , Hillary Clinton supporters were looking for a robust role for her in exchange for her support of Obama , with many even suggesting her as a possible candidate for vice president . That idea was short-lived . The Obama team wanted Hillary far from the West Wing . And they wanted Bill even farther . When Obama tapped Hillary to be his secretary of state , there was no shortage of critics who asserted that her husband 's global foundation and role as a high-paid public speaker would present a conflict of interest . The Clintons agreed to strict rules of the road to avoid such conflicts going forward . However Hillary never demurred in her praise for what her husband has accomplished , both during his eight years in the White House or post-presidency . Hillary herself has said she considered her husband a trusted adviser and could even consider using him where appropriate . He is a former president , after all . Bill Clinton has largely stayed out of the limelight , quietly continuing his globetrotting on behalf of the world 's poor and downtrodden . In May , United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appointed him as the United Nations ' special envoy to Haiti in an effort to refocus international attention on the Caribbean country 's deep economic problems and environmental decay . But with the success of his North Korean mission so quick and easy , it 's conceivable that Bill Clinton could add the role of `` diplomatic cleaner '' to his resume -- a version of Harvey Keitel 's role as Winston Wolfe in the movie `` Pulp Fiction '' -- a fixer of messy problems , which he solves with a combination of stylish charisma and lucid thinking under pressure . The Obama administration has no shortage of messy foreign policy problems that Hillary Clinton knows could use a Winston Wolfe .
Spotlight returns to Bill Clinton after successful mission to North Korea . Vice - President 's speedy retrieval of detained journalists could set up for new role . In ` ` Pulp Fiction , '' Clinton turned to Winston Wolfe to calmly solve messy cases . Analysis : Clinton 's charms could be combined with Wolfe - like missions around globe .