{"id":100886,"date":"2022-03-20T19:11:29","date_gmt":"2022-03-20T23:11:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=100886"},"modified":"2022-03-20T19:11:38","modified_gmt":"2022-03-20T23:11:38","slug":"the-daily-gouge-archive-friday-march-18th-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=100886","title":{"rendered":"The Daily Gouge Archive, Friday, March 18th, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>It&#8217;s Friday, March 18th, 2022&#8230;but before we begin, <em>NRO<\/em>&#8216;s Charlie Cooke recently turned his wicked funny\u00a0<\/strong><strong>satire on Kommielaa, detailing what he terms&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"article-header__title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/2022\/03\/the-extraordinary-vapidity-of-kamala-harris\/?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=NR%20Daily%20Monday%20through%20Friday%202022-03-16&amp;utm_term=NRDaily-Smart\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #008080; text-decoration: underline;\">The Extraordinary Vapidity of Kamala Harris<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n<h3 class=\"article-header__subtitle\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/2022\/03\/the-extraordinary-vapidity-of-kamala-harris\/?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=NR%20Daily%20Monday%20through%20Friday%202022-03-16&amp;utm_term=NRDaily-Smart\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #800080; text-decoration: underline;\">In Harris\u2019s hands, the nonsensical bromide becomes an art form unto itself<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #800080;\">.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000001.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100895\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000001.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000001.jpeg 420w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000001-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000001-300x300.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OzTX8SVJtis?start=14&amp;end=17&amp;\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span class=\"drop\">&#8220;<span style=\"color: #008080;\"><strong>A<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><strong><span class=\"small_caps\">s<\/span>\u00a0if to put to rest forever all of those ticklish inquiries about Providence, the grave and trying moment in which we now find ourselves has brought with it a hero capable of rivaling any other. <span style=\"color: #800080;\">Her name is Vice President Kamala Harris, and she is to the nugatory platitude what Michelangelo was to the marble block: All challengers flee before her, all pretenders quit their thrones at the mere mention of her name.<\/span> Listen carefully and one can hear the desperation as the most accomplished rattlebrains in America issue condign sighs of dismay. <span style=\"color: #800080;\">How talented is Harris?<\/span> Talented enough to make\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mayopete.io\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"broken_link\">the inanities uttered by her rival Pete Buttigieg<\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>sound<\/em> <em>substantive, concise, and apprehensible<\/em><\/span>. <span style=\"color: #800080;\">Talented enough to make Dan Quayle seem like Pericles.<\/span> Talented enough to make Marjorie Taylor Greene remind one of top-form Jane Austen. <span style=\"color: #800080;\">Never, in the field of human rhetoric, has an experiment in political growth been such a spectacular and unmitigated bust.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><strong>To the uninitiated, Harris\u2019s exquisite bromides may seem all to run together, like\u00a0<em>The Ring Cycle<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0<em>Ulysses<\/em>. <span style=\"color: #800080;\">And yet, as the Eskimo is able to distinguish between 400 types of snow, so the experienced Harris-watcher will learn to differentiate between the many innovative ways in which she is able to convey that <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>she has no damned idea what she\u2019s talking about<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span>&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>And to think she&#8217;s one thrown clot away from running the country&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HuDsUV44h10?start=0&amp;end=105&amp;\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;completely into the ground.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Now, here&#8217;s <em>The Gouge<\/em>!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>First up, in what will come as a shock to no one with the slightest grip on reality, <em>NRO<\/em>&#8216;s Caroline Downey reports&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"article-header__title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/news\/biden-administration-handicapped-domestic-energy-production-on-first-day-in-office-memos-reveal\/?utm_source=email&amp;utm_medium=breaking&amp;utm_campaign=newstrack&amp;utm_term=27043223\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #800080; text-decoration: underline;\">Memos Reveal the Biden Administration Handicapped Domestic Energy Production on First Day in Office<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/aaa-6.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100864\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/aaa-6.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"318\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/aaa-6.png 420w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/aaa-6-300x227.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;<span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Contrary to President Biden\u2019s recent claims that his administration is pulling out all the stops to alleviate America\u2019s inflation woes, since its early days it has fostered a policy environment that is hostile to domestic energy production, fueling price hikes at the gas pump\u00a0<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/2022\/03\/bidens-inflation-problem-is-about-more-than-putin\/\">long before Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>, according to memos obtained by\u00a0<span class=\"small_caps\">National Review<\/span>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">On the day Biden took office, his Department of the Interior issued a memo suspending the authority of local Bureau of Land Management offices to approve leases, drilling permits, and mining operations plans that would support America\u2019s oil supply, Republican senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska explained on the House floor Monday night.<\/span> Sixty days later, a second memo was sent out by political appointee Laura Daniel Davis extending the suspension of local authorities indefinitely and making the fate of all future leasing and drilling permits contingent on her <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>personally<\/em><\/span> rubber-stamping them.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><strong>A month ago on February 15, as the conflict in Ukraine took a turn for the worst and Western nations retaliated against Russia with economic penalties, amid already\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/2022\/03\/biden-cant-hide-from-high-gas-prices-forever\/\">record-high gas prices<\/a><\/em><\/span>, Biden told the public,\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re prepared to deploy\u00a0<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=I3Ii4JgyWjQ\">all the tools<\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and authority at our disposal to provide relief at the gas pump.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>He assured Americans last week, \u201cIt\u2019s <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>simply not true<\/em><\/span> that my administration or policies are holding back domestic energy production. <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">That\u2019s <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>simply not true<\/em><\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>But these memos, obtained by\u00a0<span class=\"small_caps\">National Review<\/span>, appear to show that the Biden administration intentionally handicapped the domestic oil industry from day one as part of its mission to transition the U.S. to a green economy. <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">Now that gas prices and inflation are reaching record heights, Biden has pinned a large chunk of responsibility on Russian president Vladimir Putin, whose attack on Ukraine has\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/2022\/03\/the-problem-of-economic-dependence\/\">created tumult<\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0in energy markets, given that much of the West, particularly Europe, is\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/2022\/02\/the-focus-on-green-energy-has-left-the-west-increasingly-dependent-on-russian-energy\/\">dependent on Russia for oil<\/a><\/em><\/span>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><strong>While there\u2019s <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>little evidence<\/em><\/span> that American energy companies are price gouging by intentionally limiting supply, as Psaki and Biden have implied, \u201cthere\u2019s <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>a lot of evidence<\/em><\/span> that Biden administration policies have been detrimental to oil production supply in this country,\u201d Padgett claimed. <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">\u201cThe simple fact that we\u2019re seeing less incentive to enter and produce in this market when you know that Biden administration is going out of its way to be unfriendly to oil production.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>This past January, the Biden administration also took half of the 23 million acres of federal land in National Petroleum Reserve Alaska \u201coff the table\u201d for drilling, Padgett added.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">The U.S. is producing approximately <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>one million fewer barrels of oil a day than in 2019<\/em><\/span>, when the pandemic hit and production had been ramping up.<\/span> About 700,000 barrels that year were imported each day from Russia. <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">Those imports have since been\u00a0banned\u00a0as part of the sanctions response to the Ukraine invasion.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Another member of Sullivan\u2019s staff said that if the U.S. could resume its old production patterns, we would be producing 300,000 more barrels a day to cushion the U.S. amid the current energy crisis, but that\u2019s been inhibited by the Biden administration\u2019s policies.<\/strong><\/span>&#8220;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Understand, Biden <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>doesn&#8217;t give a fig<\/em><\/span> about green energy.\u00a0 Besides, he <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>knows<\/em><\/span>&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Image-3-16-22-at-8.48-AM.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100865\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Image-3-16-22-at-8.48-AM.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"291\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Image-3-16-22-at-8.48-AM.jpeg 420w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Image-3-16-22-at-8.48-AM-300x208.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;it&#8217;s a scam.\u00a0 What he <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>does care about<\/em><\/span> is reallocating wealth to Dimocratic donors while at the same time lining the pockets of his own family.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Next, immediately after providing the primer\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><a style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/the-morning-jolt\/a-hard-look-at-the-risk-of-a-putin-ordered-tactical-nuke\/?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=MJ_20220316&amp;utm_term=Jolt-Smart\">What You Need to Know about Tactical Nuclear Weapons<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<strong>the <em>Morning Jolt <\/em>asks the question on every inquiring Conservative mind:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"nr-heading\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/the-morning-jolt\/a-hard-look-at-the-risk-of-a-putin-ordered-tactical-nuke\/?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=MJ_20220316&amp;utm_term=Jolt-Smart\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">So, What Do We Do<\/span><\/a>?<\/span><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/gv031522dAPR20220314074513.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100863\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/gv031522dAPR20220314074513.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/gv031522dAPR20220314074513.jpeg 420w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/gv031522dAPR20220314074513-300x214.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><strong>Because I\u2019ve written about Ukraine a lot over these past few months, and I\u2019m neither an \u201cit\u2019s none of our business\u201d isolationist nor a \u201clet\u2019s impose a no-fly-zone\u201d interventionist, I suppose it\u2019s possible my view can get foggy to some readers. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">So, here\u2019s what I think, at least as of this morning:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><strong>We want Ukraine to repel the Russian invaders, or at least maximize the cost to Russia in blood and treasure, to discourage other autocrats and dictators with dreams of territorial acquisitions through military invasions.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/author\/jim-geraghty\/#:~:text=There%E2%80%99s%20No%20Such%20Thing%20as%20a%20%E2%80%98Limited%20No%2DFly%20Zone%E2%80%99\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\">There is really no way to enact a no-fly zone<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"> that does not lead to a shooting war between NATO and Russia<\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/corner\/there-is-also-no-non-offensive-deployment-of-nato-forces-to-ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\">There is really no way to deploy NATO troops on Ukrainian soil<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"> that does not lead to a shooting war between NATO and Russia.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><strong>In case anyone missed this point, we want to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">avoid<\/span> the U.S. or our NATO allies getting into a shooting war with Russia!<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<li><em><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><strong>Putin is likely to try to take advantage of the fact that we want to avoid a shooting war with Russia, rattling his saber, making threats, and demanding concessions. It is extremely important that the U.S. and NATO allies not make concessions to Putin, because this just encourages Putin and other autocrats to demand more.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.poetryloverspage.com\/poets\/kipling\/dane_geld.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Never pay the Dane-Geld<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><strong>!<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">If we don\u2019t want to send Ukraine those Polish MiG-29s because we think another anti-aircraft system will be just as effective, or because we\u2019re not certain all of those Polish MiG-29s are battle-ready,\u00a0<a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thedrive.com\/the-war-zone\/44644\/poland-agrees-to-turn-over-its-mig-29s-to-the-u-s-after-which-they-could-head-to-ukraine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">or because it will take too much time to remove certain sensitive technology we don\u2019t want to risk falling into Russian hands<\/a>, fine.<\/span> Let\u2019s send Ukraine the weapons we think will be most useful to them in their present circumstances. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">But if we don\u2019t want to send Ukraine those Polish MiG-29s because we think it would be too \u201cprovocative\u201d or \u201cescalatory,\u201d we\u2019re <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff9900; text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\">giving<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><em><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"> Vladimir Putin <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">a veto<\/span> over our actions. <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/em><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>(<\/strong><em><strong>FYI, while every little bit helps, these MiGs are 30 years old and hardly the straw to break the Russian invasion&#8217;s back.<\/strong><\/em><strong>)<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<li><em><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><strong>We <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">must not start<\/span> a fight with Russia, but we <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">must be ready and willing to end<\/span> a fight with Russia. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">This means <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">clearly and directly communicating<\/span> to Vladimir Putin that <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">we have the will<\/span>, and <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">the means<\/span>, to end a fight with Russia.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><strong>This means that we <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">must clearly warn<\/span> Russia that <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">any aggression<\/span> against a NATO ally would be met with an <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">overwhelming response<\/span> \u2014 conventional forces, cyberattacks, covert action, saboteurs, exposure of compromising information on Putin\u2019s associates, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">you name it<\/span>. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">We should <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">emphasize<\/span> that our response <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">would not<\/span> be \u201ccarefully measured\u201d or \u201cproportional,\u201d lest that make some Russian military chiefs think they could withstand the blow.<\/span> We should <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">make it clear<\/span> that our response would be <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">wildly disproportional<\/span> and inflict pain on the Russian government in ways it can\u2019t even imagine. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Instead of worrying about whether <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">we\u2019re<\/span> provoking the Kremlin, we need to make <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">the Kremlin<\/span> fear the consequences of provoking us.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><strong>And considering Russia\u2019s fairly low threshold for using tactical battlefield nukes, maybe we should be sending our own signals that we might respond to the use of tactical nuclear weapons with <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>our own<\/em><\/span> nonconventional response. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">We <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>must make it clear<\/em><\/span> to Putin that the use of nuclear weapons will not \u201cescalate to deescalate,\u201d it will only \u201cescalate to escalate.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Here&#8217;s the juice: The view of NATO as a threat purportedly held by Putin and his generals notwithstanding, NATO is EXCLUSIVELY DEFENSIVE in nature, an alliance which can be called into action ONLY in the event of <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>an attack<\/em><\/span> on one of its members.\u00a0 \u00a0NATO has <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>never<\/em><\/span> posed a threat to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>any<\/em><\/span> nation; Or at least any nation which doesn&#8217;t have designs of the sovereign territory of another&#8230;which is <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>only possible reason<\/em><\/span> Putin might view it as a threat, and that only to his dreams of a reconstituted Soviet Union.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>What should concern <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>us<\/em><\/span> most are the striking parallels between Putin and another dictator before him.\u00a0 First, like Hitler did with Germany, whether your average Ivan likes it or not, Putin&#8217;s placed Russia all in.\u00a0 Second, i<\/strong><strong>n <em>Barbarossa<\/em>, his detailed account of the Russo-German conflict of 1941-45, Alan Clark wrote of Hitler:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>&#8220;<em>So, feeling himself increasingly isolated, and uneasily conscious of the enormity of the forces he had roused outside of Germany in addition to the apprehension and discontent within her frontiers, Hitler stood completely alone.\u00a0 Alone in the sense that he was separated &#8211; Whether out of suspicion or distaste &#8211; from the company and influence (however transitory) of rational minds.\u00a0 The resultant vacuum was not filled, but contaminated by influences at the same time feverish and malignant<\/em>.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Putin&#8217;s presently in the same position.\u00a0 Which raises the legitimate concern Putin may well end up believing, as Hitler eerily predicted\u00a0in 1934:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>&#8220;<\/strong><em><strong>Even if we could not conquer, we should drag half the world into destruction with us, and leave no-one to triumph over Germany&#8230;we shall never capitulate, no, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">never<\/span>!\u00a0 We may be destroyed, but if we are we shall a drag a world with us &#8211; a world in flames.<\/strong><\/em><strong>&#8220;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>And remember, unlike\u00a0der F\u00fchrer, Mad Vlad has <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>nukes<\/em><\/span>&#8230;<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>lots<\/em><\/span> of nukes.\u00a0 All of which urges caution whatever we do, as well as makes us regret more than ever who&#8217;s at the helm of our ship of state:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Image-3-4-22-at-10.21-AM.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100580\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Image-3-4-22-at-10.21-AM.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"308\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Image-3-4-22-at-10.21-AM.jpeg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Image-3-4-22-at-10.21-AM-300x200.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>One thing we certainly <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">won&#8217;t do<\/span><\/em> is honor <a href=\"https:\/\/townhall.com\/tipsheet\/spencerbrown\/2022\/03\/16\/russia-demands-alaska-reparations-from-united-states-n2604628\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em>Kremlin spin doctor\u00a0Oleg Matveychev&#8217;s demand we give Alaska back to Russia<\/em><\/span><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>And one thing we <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>shouldn&#8217;t do<\/em><\/span>\u00a0is precisely what 46* <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>is<\/em><em> doing<\/em><\/span>, as <em>AEI<\/em>&#8216;s Michael Mazza details&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"post-title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aei.org\/foreign-and-defense-policy\/bidens-irresponsible-nuclear-tweeting\/?mkt_tok=NDc1LVBCUS05NzEAAAGDMSSTk31jNVmYSPfx85d51Qzp_A6MWSJp3w_LiJ9kTLgs47Htu3j1oisv-Pzn1d37o6rblfFwmuio3suZDjvD1xCVb2Rn14ZTUkuU7Mx_mAU\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\">Biden\u2019s irresponsible nuclear tweeting<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/68x651.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100880\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/68x651.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"246\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/68x651.jpeg 420w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/68x651-300x176.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;<strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">When great power nuclear dynamics are at play, a social media platform with a strict character limit may not be the best place to do your nuclear signaling.<\/span> <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Yet on Friday afternoon, that is precisely what President Joe Biden did when he let loose an incredibly irresponsible<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/POTUS\/status\/1502353759455821833?s=20&amp;t=-zIi9TV8QHDa8t24f1Y-sw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">tweet<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>We are in the midst of a dangerous moment. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Vladimir Putin has launched an unjustifiable hot war in Ukraine for reasons that are not entirely clear to anybody but the devil on his shoulder.<\/span> The long peace in Europe is dead, stabbed in the heart while Putin looked it in the eye. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">The task now is to ensure that what replaces it is not a prolonged period of dangerous instability or, worse, a long, wider war characterized by unthinkable violence.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Enter President Biden with a tweet we can only hope will not be written about in the history books. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u201cI want to be clear,\u201d he wrote.<\/span> \u201cWe will defend every inch of NATO territory with the full might of a united and galvanized NATO.\u201d <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">So far, so good.<\/span> Russia should have little doubt about American resolve to uphold its treaty commitments in Europe and to use all of the tools available to do so.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Unfortunately, the president then served up that doubt on a platter.<\/span> \u201cA direct confrontation between NATO and Russia is World War III. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">And something we must strive to prevent.\u201d<\/span> Will President Biden be willing to go to NATO Europe\u2019s defense if he believes doing so would entail the outbreak of World War III, probably codeword for general nuclear war? <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Maybe.<\/span> But the president has now given Putin ample reason to conclude that maybe not.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>\u201cWe will defend every inch of NATO, and that will mean World War III, which we must avoid\u201d \u2014 this is not the effective deterrent signaling the president thinks it is.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>What\u2019s more, it is not at all clear that Putin shares that same concern about World War III. Chinese leader Xi Jinping almost certainly doesn\u2019t \u2014 Beijing believes geographically bounded conventional wars will be fought, as authoritative military documents put it, \u201cunder conditions of nuclear deterrence.\u201d <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">That imbalance in perceived consequences between President Biden and his potential adversaries gives those adversaries a leg up in the event of a conflict.<\/span> They have plenty of room to escalate, whereas the American president\u2019s approach to nuclear weapons seems to be something akin to \u201cgo big or go home\u201d (at least as far as can be discerned on Twitter). <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">The likes of Putin and Xi \u2014 both risk takers, and both apparently believers in a weakness inherent in supposed American decadence \u2014 may not see Biden\u2019s threat of a third world war as particularly credible.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Ambiguity has an important role to play in nuclear deterrence. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">President Biden should not spell out exactly what he will and will not do in response to various potential hostile actions.<\/span> There is value in keeping the enemy guessing, as uncertainty can have a deterrent value all its own. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">But rather than adopt measured ambiguity, the president undermined the very deterrent threat he sought to issue.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>One hopes President Biden has not edged us closer to the very eventuality he aimed to forestall. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">On the other hand, a world war that has its origins in a tweet-inspired failure of nuclear deterrence would be remarkably appropriate for the current age.<\/span><\/strong><\/span>&#8220;<\/p>\n<p><strong>But nowadays, such irresponsible tweets&#8230;once the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>exclusive<\/em><\/span> province of The Donald&#8230;are no longer emanating only from the Oval Office, as 46*&#8217;s #2 (in soooo many more ways than one!) recently offered <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>this<\/em><\/span> now-deleted bit of ill-advised info:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/kommielaa.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100873\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/kommielaa.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/kommielaa.png 420w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/kommielaa-270x300.png 270w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>If brains were dynamite Biden couldn&#8217;t blow his nose&#8230;though Kommielaa might muster the energy to&#8230;well,&#8230;you know&#8230;Willie Brown.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Moving on, we offer another octet of items specially selected for inquiring Conservative minds.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>(1). We&#8217;re with Derek Hunter when he states, all kidding aside,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/townhall.com\/columnists\/derekhunter\/2022\/03\/15\/the-progressive-mindset-is-evil-n2604540\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em>t<\/em><\/span><\/a><\/strong><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em>he Progressive mindset Is EVIL<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>(2). Matthew Mashburn explains why the\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/2022\/03\/january-6-committees-latest-court-filing-should-scare-stacey-abrams\/?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=NR%20Daily%20Monday%20through%20Friday%202022-03-15&amp;utm_term=NRDaily-Smart\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\">January 6 Committee\u2019s latest court filing should scare Stacey Abrams<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>(3). The best defense being a good offense, Dr. Faux Chi is <a href=\"https:\/\/townhall.com\/tipsheet\/landonmion\/2022\/03\/15\/its-benghazi-hearings-all-over-again-fauci-says-he-expects-republicans-to-come-after-following-2022-midterms-n2604610\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em>already formulating his plan of attack<\/em><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 We&#8217;re gonna go out on a limb and predict if, as is very likely, Republicans take back the House, this charlatan will conveniently choose to retire beyond the reach of any House investigation.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>(4). In what should come as a shock to no one,\u00a0<em>Townhall.com<\/em>&#8216;s Matt Vespa informs us\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/townhall.com\/tipsheet\/mattvespa\/2022\/03\/16\/boston-blm-leader-charged-with-fraud-n2604630\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em>yet another Black Lies Matter luminary is under federal indictment for fraud<\/em><\/span><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>(5). Courtesy of the <em>Daily Caller<\/em> via a forward from the Nickel, the great VDH lists <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/03\/17\/victor-davis-hanson-10-realities-ukraine-russia-biden\/\" class=\"broken_link\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em>10 realities of Ukraine<\/em><\/span><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>(6). As the <em>Journal<\/em>&#8216;s Kim Strassel relates,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/bidens-climate-delusions-green-new-deal-fossil-fuels-energy-politics-ukraine-russia-oil-drilling-gas-11647553480\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Biden is in Climate Denial; Even the European Left understands what the Ukraine invasion means for fossil fuels<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>(7). Listen as Larry Kudlow gives the lowdown on 46*&#8217;s <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>utterly insane<\/em><\/span> Iran deal:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/61NE0ZB5Ups\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>(8). <em>Townhall.com<\/em>&#8216;s Spencer Brown tells us\u00a0<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/townhall.com\/tipsheet\/spencerbrown\/2022\/03\/16\/bidens-remarks-at-equal-pay-event-were-a-dumpster-fire-n2604627?utm_campaign=rightrailsticky2\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Biden&#8217;s remarks at an &#8216;equal pay&#8217; event were a gaffe-filled dumpster fire<\/span><\/a><\/em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, a sample of which follows:<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kwTVpBZ2OHk?start=0&amp;end=37&amp;\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>As Ronny Jackson noted:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/biden-5.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100878\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/biden-5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"247\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/biden-5.png 420w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/biden-5-300x176.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Which brings us, appropriately enough, to <em>The Lighter Side<\/em>:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/aria_c18908220220315120100.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100868\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/aria_c18908220220315120100.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"276\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/aria_c18908220220315120100.jpeg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/aria_c18908220220315120100-300x179.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/afb031522dAPR20220315034609.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100866\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/afb031522dAPR20220315034609.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/afb031522dAPR20220315034609.jpeg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/afb031522dAPR20220315034609-300x214.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/afb031722dAPR20220317014505.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100902\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/afb031722dAPR20220317014505.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/afb031722dAPR20220317014505.jpeg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/afb031722dAPR20220317014505-300x214.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/aaa-7.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100903\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/aaa-7.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"299\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/aaa-7.png 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/aaa-7-300x194.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/biden-4.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100867\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/biden-4.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"326\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/biden-4.png 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/biden-4-300x212.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/cb031722dAPR20220317044505.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100904\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/cb031722dAPR20220317044505.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"349\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/cb031722dAPR20220317044505.jpeg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/cb031722dAPR20220317044505-300x227.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_ForeighnEnergy_web20220315121159.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100869\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_ForeighnEnergy_web20220315121159.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"347\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_ForeighnEnergy_web20220315121159.jpeg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_ForeighnEnergy_web20220315121159-300x225.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_SpaceLift_web20220317122412.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100906\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_SpaceLift_web20220317122412.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"347\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_SpaceLift_web20220317122412.jpeg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_SpaceLift_web20220317122412-300x225.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_Guillotine_web20220316114828.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100870\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_Guillotine_web20220316114828.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"347\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_Guillotine_web20220316114828.jpeg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_Guillotine_web20220316114828-300x225.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/bbb-5.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100905\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/bbb-5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/bbb-5.png 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/bbb-5-300x215.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Image-3-17-22-at-10.45-AM.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100896\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Image-3-17-22-at-10.45-AM.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"575\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Image-3-17-22-at-10.45-AM.jpeg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Image-3-17-22-at-10.45-AM-241x300.jpeg 241w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Then there&#8217;s these from Balls Cotton&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000000-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100897\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000000-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"526\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000000-2.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000000-2-263x300.jpg 263w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/brady.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100898\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/brady.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/brady.png 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/brady-224x300.png 224w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000008.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100899\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000008.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"478\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000008.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000008-290x300.jpg 290w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000005.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100900\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000005.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"462\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000005.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000005-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000005-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000000-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100915\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000000-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"462\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000000-3.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000000-3-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000000-3-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;and the lovely Shannon&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/shannon1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100874\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/shannon1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"550\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/shannon1.png 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/shannon1-252x300.png 252w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/shannon2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100875\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/shannon2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/shannon2.png 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/shannon2-300x221.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/shannon3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100876\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/shannon3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"449\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/shannon3.png 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/shannon3-300x292.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;along with a related selection from Speed:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/speed.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100891\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/speed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"462\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/speed.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/speed-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/speed-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Finally, we&#8217;ll call it a week with yet another sordid story straight from the pages of <span style=\"color: #800000;\"><em>The Crime Blotter<\/em><\/span>, as <em>NRO<\/em> records a&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"article-header__title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><a style=\"color: #800000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/news\/court-orders-jussie-smolletts-release-from-jail-on-bond-during-appeal\/?utm_source=email&amp;utm_medium=breaking&amp;utm_campaign=newstrack&amp;utm_term=27052531\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Court Orders Jussie Smollett Released from Jail on Bond Pending Appeal<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/download-4.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-100908\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/download-4.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"236\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/download-4.jpeg 420w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/download-4-300x169.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;&#8230;<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>Smollett\u2019s attorneys argued that the disgraced actor would have finished out his sentence by the time the appeal process had been completed and raised concerns that <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>he could be in danger of physical harm<\/em><\/span> if he remained in Cook County Jail<\/strong><\/span>&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>What&#8230;unlike <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>every other<\/em><\/span> inmate?!?\u00a0 Besides, given the two options facing convicted felons&#8230;\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-da3-gPWFp0?start=12&amp;end=17&amp;\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;since Jussie&#8217;s incapable of the former, and certainly won&#8217;t mind the latter, serving time should be a breeze for him.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Magoo<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Video of the Day<\/em><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Stuart Varney reveals why the Russians have become bogged down in Ukraine.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dBYdUtqNni4\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><em>Tales of The Darkside<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>This clip provides insight into how Progressives think and view even the most horrific of events: Never let a good crisis go to waste.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"MRC TV video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mrctv.org\/embed\/568551\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><em>On the Lighter Side<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Here&#8217;s one way to empty your bait well on the way back from fishing.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RTefwgSPRr0\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s Friday, March 18th, 2022&#8230;but before we begin, NRO&#8216;s Charlie Cooke recently turned his wicked funny\u00a0satire on Kommielaa, detailing what he terms&#8230; The Extraordinary Vapidity of Kamala Harris In Harris\u2019s hands, the nonsensical bromide becomes an art form unto itself. &nbsp; \ufeff &#8220;As\u00a0if to put to rest forever all of those ticklish inquiries about Providence, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1988,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-100886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1988"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=100886"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100964,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100886\/revisions\/100964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=100886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=100886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=100886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}