Rich Galen

If you think the Administration of Barack Obama has its arms around foreign policy read this from the Associated Press yesterday:

"Ultraconservative Islamist protesters climbed the walls of the United States Embassy in Cairo on Tuesday and took down the American flag, replacing it with a black flag with an Islamic inscription to protest a movie attacking Islam's prophet, Muhammad."

Did President Obama demand that the Egyptian government provide assurances that our embassy would be protected?

No.

In fact, Obama's crack foreign service issued an ... apology.

He apologized for the presumed existence of a movie that no one on this planet (to my knowledge) has seen in its entirety.

Even if such a movie does exist, it's pretty certain U.S. Government had nothing to do with the mystery film, and thus had nothing to apologize for.

Finally, the U.S. embassy in Cairo was attacked, stormed, and the U.S. flag was torn down by a bunch of crazy Egyptians emboldened by the Arab Spring.

Yet Barack Obama felt he needed to issue an apology.

For our Embassy having been attacked.

And our flag having been torn down, and torn apart.

On the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Even during the most heated days of the anti-war demonstrations of the 1960s I never got into a projectile sweat about someone setting an American flag afire on a street in Cleveland or Chicago.

The flag is a symbol of America. It is not a holy relic. The republic could, and did, survive those silly protests.

But no one apologized to the flag burners for having caused them such angst that they felt it necessary to use up precious lighter fluid to set a flag on fire.

Yet, Obama apologized to the Egyptian rioters.

A link to the trailer for this movie is on the Secret Decoder Ring page.

It has all the production values of a Captain Video episode from 1954.

Nevertheless, Obama apologized.

According to CNN, Obama's Administration issued a statement saying that it "condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims -- as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions."

America is apologizing for those who would "hurt the religious feelings of Muslims?"

Did Buddhists kill 3,000 Americans on September 11? How about Hindus? Or, Zoroastrians? Or any of the other 21 major faiths that exist on the Earth?

No. But Obama felt the need to apologize to the one religion against which we are waging war.

For storming our Embassy. Over a movie that may not exist.

Remember we are propping up the Islamist government of Egypt to the tune of $1.5 billion per year.

Granted, that is about half of the foreign aid we provide Israel, but Israelis are not storming the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv (it is not in Jerusalem) demanding that Obama meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

SIDEBAR

While Obama was apologizing to Egyptian rioters for allowing unknown people to produce an unseen movie, he was simultaneously refusing to meet with the Israeli Prime Minister later this month.

This, from Reuters:

"In a highly unusual rebuff to a close ally, the White House said on Tuesday that President Barack Obama would not meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a U.S. visit later this month, as tensions escalated over how to deal with Iran's nuclear program."

END SIDEBAR

Even though everyone believes this election is going to be about the economy, a few more boneheaded days like yesterday might well make Obama's inept handling of foreign policy a major issue.

If I have hurt your feelings ... I'm so sorry.

On the Secret Decoder Ring page today: LOADS o'l links include the trailer for that mystery film and links to all of the stories referenced above.

Also a Mullfoto of a flag at half staff on a building about five blocks from the White House.

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