[Guest post by DRJ]
Since July 4, the North Koreans have been suspected of targeting cyberattacks on official U.S. and South Korean websites, and some websites are only now returning to normal.
Tonight, I haven’t been able to access One Free Korea, a blogger’s website that focuses on Korea and especially North Korea. This may be due to routine maintenance or some other problem but can any tech savvy person tell why One Free Korea is down?
— DRJ
[Guest post by DRJ]
Doug Ross posts an interview with former ACORN member Michael McCray, the spokesperson for “ACORN 8,” a nonpartisan group of former and current ACORN leaders who want to reform ACORN and return it to its original mission and purpose.
— DRJ
[Guest post by DRJ]
The tiny town of Alligator, Mississippi, has its first black mayor, Tommie “Tomaso” Brown, who beat the 30-year incumbent white mayor 37-27 in the last election. Brown was the first black to run for mayor, and he was inspired by Barack Obama’s win.
According to his defeated opponent, Brown won with family votes based on a campaign that promised a new swimming pool and recreation center. Brown’s agenda is to make a better life for the kids of the community through government funding:
“If we don’t look after our youth, what do we have? The population is dying out and I want more people here. I want better living conditions. I just want the people to be comfortable. Small towns like this depend on government funding and that’s what we’re seeking.”
***
The town’s facilities were substandard, [Brown] said, gesturing towards the humble town hall, where a “No Loitering” sign is nailed next to the door. “There isn’t even a phone or a fax machine in there. How can we communicate with the outside world and ask for things?“
How, indeed?
— DRJ
[Guest post by DRJ]
Day 1 of Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee has concluded after a relatively brief session with opening statements by the Senators and Sotomayor. Questioning will begin tomorrow morning when the hearing resumes.
If anyone listened to all the opening statements, I salute you.
UPDATE: The Houston Chronicle has a photo of Sotomayor’s nephews dozing during the hearing. It’s hard enough for adults, it would be torture for kids.
— DRJ
[Guest post by DRJ]
The Instapundit links a Pajamas Media/Dan Miller article that wonders if Hugo Chávez has given up on returning his puppet, former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, to office. Miller notes Chávez has gone silent on Honduras since a July 12 speech urging the United States “to be firm in returning Zelaya to power.” Miller speculates Chavez could also be busy with other things but nevertheless concludes it is “unlikely that there will be a resolution of the Honduran question acceptable to Chávez, Zelaya, and Castro.”
On July 11, Ed Morrissey at Hot Air noticed that some Congressional Democrats had begun “acknowledging the crimes Zelaya committed and stopped calling for his return to office.” Morrissey also noted, again, that the Obama administration “didn’t bother to get the facts” before supporting former President Zelaya.
In fact, twelve days have passed since a State Department spokesman acknowledged that U.S. legal advisers were “actively assessing the facts and the law in question.” These advisers have clearly had enough time to conclude their research regarding the legality of Zelaya’s actions and the Honduran response, as well as communicate their conclusions to the State Department and the White House.
The continued silence by the Obama Administration on this topic speaks volumes. My guess is the word went out to Hugo Chávez and Manuel Zelaya that the Obama Administration is throwing Zelaya under the bus. If so, he has plenty of company.
— DRJ
[Posted by Karl]
Hardly anyone outside Illinois wrote about this last week, let alone the larger implications:
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan will not run for a U.S. Senate seat–despite wooing by President Obama, Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett, Dick Durbin and the Democratic Senate political operation based in Washington. She will not run for governor. Instead, Madigan is announcing Wednesday afternoon that she is running for another term as Illinois Attorney General.
***
Madigan–called the most popular political figure in Illinois by Emanuel, Obama’s Chief of Staff–was considered the favorite to win a bid for governor or Senate. Her father is House Speaker Michael J. Madigan (D-Chicago) who is also the boss of the Illinois Democratic Party. He was a crucial factor in her winning her first attorney general race in 2002.
It’s easy to see why Madigan might take a pass on running for Governor — Illinois is a shambles financially and its government is slouching toward California-style paralysis. But what of the Senate race? Madigan’s supposed motive here was to avoid a primary challenge. But with the tainted Sen. Roland Burris out, her only serious competition in the Senate race would have been Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias. He was an early Obama backer, but Obama apparently was hoping for Madigan.
Madigan’s withdrawal prompted Rep. Mark Kirk to reconsider running for Senate on the GOP side, where he may have a relatively clear field. Kirk is one of a number of moderate Republican candidates looking competitive in races for Senate seats now held by Democrats (conservatives may not be thrilled by that, but that’s a subject for another post). Recruitment efforts for House Republicans also looks promising so far.
In this context, one might wonder whether Madigan looked at the political landscape and saw what a lot of Republican challengers are seeing — a tough 2010 cycle for Democrats.
–Karl