Ingrid Betancourt And Spies Free!

It's back to Mumia protests for a generation of lefties, as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia has released (more likely: been forced to release) Ingrid Betancourt, a French citizen and one-time Colombian presidential candidate. Betancourt had been a member of Colombia's lower Congress since 1994; in 1998, she ran for Senate, and her children were moved to New Zealand so as not to be like murdered and stuff. She was kidnapped in 2002, while outreaching to the rebels during her presidential campaign. Earlier this year, Betancourt stopped eating; she is said to be in poor health. Suddenly today, 11 Colombian military, three Americans—who are what they like to call "defense department contractors" but who are in fact spooks who work in a "shadowy world of secret operations," according to that tinfoil-hat newsletter the New York Times—and Betancourt were set free. FARC still retains unknown hundreds of hostages.