{"id":103342,"date":"2022-07-28T19:42:45","date_gmt":"2022-07-28T23:42:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=103342"},"modified":"2022-07-28T19:42:51","modified_gmt":"2022-07-28T23:42:51","slug":"the-daily-gouge-archive-wednesday-july-27th-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=103342","title":{"rendered":"The Daily Gouge Archive, Wednesday, July 27th, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s Wednesday, July 27th, 2022…but before we begin, the Monday edition of the Morning Jolt<\/em>\u00a0offered this incredibly disturbing addendum:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

President Biden, while speaking to reporters last week<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/a>, shortly before he tested positive for Covid-19:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Q: Mr. President, do you think it\u2019s a good idea for Speaker Pelosi to travel to Taiwan this summer?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I \u2014 I think that \u2014 the military thinks it\u2019s not a good idea right now, but I don\u2019t know what the status of it is.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And then Biden moved on to another question about declaring a public-health emergency for abortion.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

As the Wall Street Journal notes<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/a>, Pelosi\u2019s trip would have symbolic significance, as she would be the first House speaker to visit Taiwan in 25 years, and this is one of the rare issues where the typical Republican is likely to say, \u201cGo, Pelosi, go!\u201d<\/span> The Chinese government is rattling its sabers and attempting to intimidate the U.S. government. <\/span>The Chinese government has no authority to deny American officials the right to visit Taiwan.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The question is<\/em><\/span>, will<\/em><\/span> the Biden administration allow<\/em><\/span> itself to be intimidated?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>The Journal<\/em>\u2019s editors conclude, \u201cIf China can stop a senior U.S. official from visiting Taiwan, how resolute is America going to be in a shooting war?\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Notice that Biden doesn\u2019t say whether he thinks it\u2019s a good idea. He just says \u201cthe military\u201d \u2014 Who<\/em><\/span>? When<\/em><\/span> did they say this? Why<\/em><\/span> did they say this? \u2014 thinks it\u2019s not a good idea right now.<\/span> He doesn\u2019t argue that Pelosi shouldn\u2019t<\/em><\/span> go, exactly, but he doesn\u2019t say she should<\/em><\/span> go, either. He just ominously implies that the Pentagon sees some sort of threat afoot and moves on to another subject.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In the most recent issue of NR<\/em>, our Andy McCarthy<\/span> describes Biden as the \u201cconfounder in chief<\/a><\/em><\/span>\u201d \u2013 a man who uses confusing jumbles of words that are often de facto retracted.<\/span><\/span> \u201cBiden\u2019s words are meaningless<\/em><\/span>.<\/span> Of that, there is no better testament than the soles of his advisers\u2019 shoes, worn away by the speed and regularity with which those words are walked back.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Does<\/span><\/em> Biden not<\/em><\/span> want Pelosi to go to Taiwan?<\/span> Who knows<\/span><\/em>?<\/span> We shouldn\u2019t expect too much<\/em><\/span> from him; he\u2019s only the president<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

NRO<\/em> offers additional details on the ChiCom’s saber-rattling:<\/strong><\/p>\n

China Threatens \u2018Strong Measures\u2019 If Pelosi Travels to Taiwan<\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

“A Chinese government spokesman reissued his warning to the U.S. on Monday about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi\u2019s planned visit to Taiwan, saying\u00a0\u201cChina will take strong measures to resolutely respond and counteract\u201d if the Democrat visits the island.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>\u201cWe are seriously prepared,\u201d\u00a0Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters in a meeting,\u00a0according\u00a0<\/span>to Reuters.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Lijian was responding to a Saturday\u00a0report<\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0from the\u00a0Financial Times<\/em>, which stated the Chinese warnings to the U.S. are stronger than they have been in the past<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n