The Hand of Friendship

Mark Steyn points out one of the more troubling idiosyncrasies of the current resident of the White House. I had remembered each instance individually, but hadn't really put together the pattern until Steyn laid them out side by side:

Visiting France, he declined to dine with the Sarkozys. Visiting Norway, he declined to dine with the king at a banquet thrown explicitly in Obama’s honor. The other day, the president declined to dine with Netanyahu even though the Israeli prime minister was his guest in the White House at the time. The British prime minister, five times rebuffed in his attempt to book a date, had to make do with a perfunctory walk ’n’ talk through the kitchens of the U.N. Obama’s shtick as a candidate was that he was the guy who’d talk to anyone, anytime, anywhere.

Anyone, anytime, anywhere? Anyone but our allies it seems! What is it about Obama that he will not sit down and simply break bread with the heads of state of our allies? Does he feel that he is too good for them? Or can't he see that whatever personal animosity he might have for them or personal aversion to dining in public, is not serving the best interest of the United States? I'm sure that if he asked, his hosts would prepare a halal meal! /sarcasm

Update: The frequency of Obama's refusing to dine with heads of state reminded me of a quote from Ian Fleming:

Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action.

Note to Barack: These men are our friends!