Chart- Health care spending: U.S. v. Abroad

By GottaLaff

Tech issues fixed... Now, take a gander at this:

(click on image to enlarge)

H/t: Jdkidd81

Video- President Obama Leads Troop Rally at Osan Air Base, South Korea

Video- Obama, Lee Joint Presser

Video- Protest balloons float into N.Korea

Video- Oops: Obama, South Korean President get directions mixed up

Hey, I thought it was funny. I won't go as far as CNN and say that he didn't know right from left, it looks more as if they just got juxtaposed when they were walking.

Video- President Obama and South Korean Leader Press Conference

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Evening Distraction

A park in South Korea has put rare white tigers in with its lions, and the arguments have started on who exactly is in charge.

Update: North Korea warning to US and South Korea

By GottaLaff

Those breaking news Tweets come in handy. Now we have the full story:

North Korea has warned that any attempt to shoot down a satellite it says it plans to launch will result in war.

The warning came as the US and South Korea began an annual joint military exercise expected to last 12 days.

North Korea has long described such exercises as provocative but tensions between the two Koreas are now high.

The South and the US believe Pyongyang could be preparing to test-fire a long-range missile under the guise of a satellite launch.

On Friday, the North said that the risk of conflict meant it could no longer guarantee the safety of commercial flights through airspace it controls off the east coast. [...]

In a statement published by the official Korean Central News Agency on Monday, the Korean People's Army warned that it was ready to use force against the South, the US and Japan.

“ Shooting our satellite for peaceful purposes will precisely mean a war ”
North Norean army statement

"We will retaliate any act of intercepting our satellite for peaceful purposes with prompt counter strikes by the most powerful military means," it said.

"Shooting our satellite for peaceful purposes will precisely mean a war."

The army earlier issued a separate statement saying all military personnel had been ordered "to be fully combat ready" in order to defend the nation. [...]

The army added that it would cut off North-South military communications during the exercise period.

The 12-day military exercise involves about 50,000 US and South Korean troops, in what the two allies say is a rehearsal for the defence of the peninsula, the BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul says.

But North Korea is always rankled by the annual drill, our correspondent says, claiming that it is a dry run for an invasion and dangerously provocative.

Some observers in South Korea, though, believe the North may be using the exercise as a pretext to clear the skies, our correspondent adds.

Obama to Push One Free Trade Pact He Pledged to Oppose

By GottaLaff

David Sirota brings us this one:

As a candidate, Barack Obama said he would oppose the Panama, South Korea and Colombia Free Trade Agreements. You can verify that (among other places) here. Now, Reuters has the report on a declaration from Tim Geithner (not a shock coming from him, a devout Rubinite):

U.S. President Barack Obama will work with Congress to move forward on long-stalled free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Tuesday.

The Obama administration's endorsement of the Panama pact appears to be a straight-up betrayal of the candidate's campaign promise because the administration says it wants to pass the pact "quickly" and without changes. This is particularly bad not just because it violates a campaign promise, but because its well-known problem of legitimizing and legally securing various tax havens has become an even bigger problem in the new era of huge deficits - that is, in the era where we need to be closing tax havens, not protecting them. [...]

As for the administration's endorsement of the South Korea and Colombia trade agreement, we can't yet call it a betrayal because the White House has left open the possibility of trying to reform those deals before pushing for their passage.

Follow the link to read the whole thing.

S. Koreans fire water cannons at Bush protesters

Hmmm, I'm not remembering any protesters when Obama was traveling. Just sayin'.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Police fired water cannons at thousands of protesters Tuesday as President Bush got a volatile reception in South Korea at the start of his three-nation Asian trip.

Dueling demonstrations reflected mixed sentiments in this U.S. ally, where public opinion surveys remain generally positive about America, though many people decry Washington for a variety of issues. Bush will meet Wednesday with President Lee Myung-bak for the third time since the conservative, pro-American leader took office in February.

Some 18,300 police were on high alert with riot gear and bomb-sniffing dogs to maintain order during Bush's brief visit, the National Police Agency said.