{"id":28601,"date":"2014-12-21T19:44:07","date_gmt":"2014-12-22T00:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=28601"},"modified":"2014-12-21T20:35:09","modified_gmt":"2014-12-22T01:35:09","slug":"the-daily-gouge-archive-friday-december-19th-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=28601","title":{"rendered":"The Daily Gouge Archive, Friday, December 19th, 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s Friday, December 19th, 2014…but before we begin, courtesy of Balls Cotton, a brief synopsis of the passing year; which is unfortunately not all that different from what we can expect in 2015:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Now, here’s The Gouge!<\/strong><\/p>\n

First up, a great point from James Taranto on Sony’s decision to pull “The Interview” in response to some chains opting to pull it from their theaters:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Benghazi, the Sequel<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n

Why is the State Department green-lighting films?<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

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“What a strange sequel to Benghazi. In that case, Obama and the State Department denounced an amateur anti-Islam video production, \u201cInnocence of Muslims,\u201d that had sparked protests and riots in Cairo and other Arab capitals.<\/p>\n

We noted at the time that Egypt\u2019s Muslim Brotherhood was demanding that the U.S. government apologize for the film and prosecute the filmmaker and argued that Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should have responded with a vigorous defense of free expression. \u201cInnocence of Muslims\u201d was a product of an individual exercising that right; the best way to disavow it would have been to note that the U.S. government cannot control individual expression<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

But now it seems the State Department green-lit a Hollywood movie at the request of a studio concerned about its political implications. Evidently the officials who did so misjudged those implications, but why in the world did they ever entertain the request in the first place? That they approved the scene means they could have disapproved it, so that they assumed the role of censor.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The incident also reinforces foreign expectations, like those of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2012, that the U.S. government is accountable for individual expression.<\/span> All of which is a lot more disturbing than the loss-averse theater owners\u2019 chickening out<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span>…”<\/p>\n

Since we’re on the subject of Administration moves that leave you scratching your head:<\/strong><\/p>\n

US, Cuba seek to normalize relations after Alan Gross released<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n

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“…”It’s absurd and it’s part of a long record of coddling dictators and tyrants,” Rubio told Fox News, claiming the administration is “constantly giving away unilateral concessions … in exchange for nothing.” Rubio called Obama the “worst negotiator” the U.S. has had as president “since at least Jimmy Carter.”<\/strong><\/span> He also said Congress would not support lifting the embargo.<\/p>\n

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who like Rubio is a Cuban-American lawmaker, said this is a moment of “profound relief” for Gross and his family. But he voiced concerns that this constituted a “swap of convicted spies for an innocent American.” “President Obama’s actions have vindicated the brutal behavior of the Cuban government,” he said in a statement. “Trading Mr. Gross for three convicted criminals sets an extremely dangerous precedent.<\/span> It invites dictatorial and rogue regimes to use Americans serving overseas as bargaining chips.”<\/strong><\/span>…”<\/p>\n

We’re not necessarily opposed to opening trade and travel relations with Cuba, and would hope over time the more contact ordinary Cubans have with the outside world the less attractive the Castro brothers will appear. \u00a0Then again, Venezuela has unfettered interaction with the world, and with almost 3,000,000 visitors already traveling to Cuba annually, it’s not a lack of foreign contact that’s the problem, but the isolation imposed by the Castro police state. \u00a0This is a rare case where we agree with Obama’s ultimate goal, but wholeheartedly disagree with his methodology to attain it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bob Menendez is right when he notes the circumstances and timing of Obama’s move won’t be lost on the world’s bad actors. \u00a0Weakness and ineptitude appear to be this guy’s only strengths. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

As Jim Geraghty notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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“Ah, the Obama administration. A short while after insisting that their latest round of economic sanctions will put a halt to Vladimir Putin and Russia\u2019s aggression in Ukraine, they turn around and normalize relations with Cuba because the embargo \u201chasn\u2019t worked.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To get Bowe Bergdahl back, the United States took five of the worst captured killers in Guantanamo Bay and released them to Qatar. To get the release of Alan Gross, an American aid worker illegally detained in 2009, Obama normalized relations with Cuba. Do you notice that Obama\u2019s \u201cconcessions\u201d to get prisoners back always involve him doing something he wanted to do anyway?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I keep hearing the embargo \u201cdidn\u2019t work.\u201d What U.S. policy has generated exactly the result we wanted when we started? Has our absolute isolation of North Korea \u201cworked\u201d the way we wanted? How about our extensive trade with China? Or our increasing engagement with Vietnam? How about our outreach and endless negotiations with Iran? Is the lesson from Cuba that \u201cembargos don\u2019t work\u201d or is it really that \u201cit\u2019s hard to change the behavior of brutal regimes that don\u2019t care about the people they rule\u201d?<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It would be easier to support this move if there was a way to see how this would help the average Cuban, instead of further lining the pockets of the Castro brothers.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

As for the numerous distortions and outright falsehoods set forth in The Obamao’s pronouncement, we refer you to Breitbart.com<\/em>‘s list of the…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Top Ten Lies in Obama’s Cuba Speech<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n

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As reader Bill Meisen noted, “So, within a week of denouncing his own country for torture, Barry opens full diplomatic relations with one of the most torturous regimes on the planet?”<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n