Today’s front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer carried stories on the latest attempt to plug the Deepwater Horizon leak, the squelching of a no-bid development deal for Family Court building in Philadelphia, girls lacrosse, puffing repeal of “don’t ask don’t tell”, the Academy of Natural Sciences, and Harrisburg corruption.
On page 2, they carries an update piece from Obama sources about how China is “likely to join rebuke of N. Korea” — which does not seem to be available on their website and has a markedly different slant than this piece this morning from Bloomberg.Com: China May Shield North Korea As Lee, U.S. Seek Action.
On March 26, the South Korean frigate Cheonan was sunk by a North Korean submarine. Today, South Korea held a major naval exercise featuring anti-submarine drills, and U.S. Gen. Walter Sharp — who heads the U.S.-South Korean combined forces command which includes the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed there — raised the watch level from 3 to 2 one notch below the highest level.
North Korea responded by ending an agreement designed to prevent armed clashes at maritime border with South Korea and warned of “immediate physical strikes” if any South Korean ships enter its waters.
North Korea is an impoverished dying nations but armed with nuclear weapons developed during the Clinton years. It’s military also has an enormous artillery component and South Korea’s capital of Seoul is within range of those guns.
Meanwhile, President Obama is meeting with the Duke Blue Devils basketball team to honor their sacrifice and effort in winning the NCAA championship. He leaves for Chicago tonight to chill out over the Memorial Day weekend, which unfortunately will mean he is unavailable for the traditional presidential Memorial Day visit to Arlington Cemetery to honor the sacrifice and effort that involved keeping America free.
I hope he doesn’t chill out so much he can’t handle any 3 a.m. phone calls.