Insight

“Our military strength is a prerequisite to peace, but let it be clear we maintain this strength in the hope it will never be used, for the ultimate determinant in the struggle that’s now going on in the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas, a trial of spiritual resolve, the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish, the ideals to which we are dedicated.” —President Ronald Reagan (1911-2004)

“Some people said that having Joe Biden as Vice President meant that President Obama had someone with many years of foreign policy experience. What they ignored was that Biden had decades of experience being wrong on foreign policy issues, time and time again.” —Thomas Sowell

“Something’s going to break in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The only question is what breaks first: The Russian supply lines, the Ukrainian ability to effectively resist, the Russian economy, or the patience of some armed individuals around Putin.” —Jim Geraghty

For the Record: Energy

“According to GasBuddy data, the national average has risen 49.1c/gal in the last seven days, the largest 7 day rise in history, surpassing the 49.0c/gal rise after Hurricane Katrina.” —Patrick De Haan

“We’ve got to make sure we sanction these energy companies, all of them. We’ve got to make sure that we pull them out of the international banking system, and we need to stop taking any Russian oil. The idea that we would give our money to an enemy is unthinkable, and it’s absolute lunacy. We can’t allow this to continue.” —former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley

“So the Biden White House would rather go to Venezuela and Iran for more oil than allow American producers the chance to build out sustainable crude oil projects that would be cheaper and cleaner sources while creating jobs. Do they hate oil or the Americans working in oil patch?” —Charles V. Payne

“Russian oil. Iranian oil. Venezuelan oil. This administration is doing everything possible to choose tyrants over AMERICAN ENERGY INDEPENDENCE.” —Senator Tommy Tuberville

“You know your brain is broken when you think foreign oil is better for the environment than American oil.” —Congressman Dan Crenshaw

Non Compos Mentis Awards

“The suggestion that we are not allowing companies to drill is inaccurate. I would suggest you ask the oil companies why they’re not using [drilling permits] if there’s a desire to drill more.” —White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki (“This represents a fundamental misunderstanding as to how this process works. Once you lease land there is a whole process that you have to go through. First you have to actually discover whether actually there is oil and gas in that land. Second of all, you have to get a permit to actually develop that land.” —American Petroleum Institute (API) President and CEO Mike Sommers | “That accusation is a complete red herring. It’s really a distraction from the fact that this administration has paused leasing on federal lands.” —American Exploration & Production Council (AXPC) CEO Anne Bradbury)

“Clean transportation can bring significant cost savings for the American people as well. Last month, we announced a $5 billion investment to build out a nationwide electric vehicle charging network so that people from rural to suburban to urban communities can all benefit from the gas savings of driving an EV.” —Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (“Mayor Pete said … that people struggling with rising gas prices should solve their issue by buying electric cars. In related news, homeless people should also just buy houses so they aren’t homeless any longer. Thanks for the tips, Marie Antoinette.” —Clay Travis)

And Last…

“President Joe Biden’s spokeswoman defends rising gasoline costs as the cost Americans must pay for standing up for our values. It is a neat trick to cite Russian sanctions for price increases that predate the sanctions. Democrats blame Russian strongman Vladimir Putin for Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016 and record-breaking inflation rates, but Hillary was a flawed candidate and Biden has long been waging war on affordable energy.” —former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal