Canada's turn for a snub

Already this month, the Obama Administration has dealt stunning diplomatic blows to Britain and Israel, two of America's closest allies. Now it's Canada's turn, as Hillary Clinton used a diplomatic conference of Arctic nations to bash our neighbor to the north.

It was supposed to be a meeting of polar pals. But a high-level session on the vast opportunities opening up in the Arctic got off to a chilly start Monday, as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton criticized Canada for leaving several players off the guest list.

The Canadian government invited foreign ministers from the other four countries with Arctic coastlines -- Russia, Norway, Denmark and the United States -- to hold talks on developing the region, which is being transformed by climate change.

...

Clinton noted that the three other nations in the Arctic region -- Sweden, Finland and Iceland -- had complained they were not included in the meeting. She said she also was contacted by representatives of indigenous groups in the area that had been left off the list.

"Significant international discussions on Arctic issues should include those who have legitimate interests in the region," Clinton said, according to a prepared copy of her remarks to the meeting, which was closed to press. "And I hope the Arctic will always showcase our ability to work together, not create new divisions."

Canada's foreign minister, Lawrence Cannon, said it made sense for the Arctic coastal states to meet because of their special responsibilities in areas like search-and-rescue. He said the smaller group was not aimed at supplanting the larger Arctic Council.

Presumably, Canada's foreign minister would know more about Arctic issues than Hillary Clinton, who is only responsible for the state of Alaska. Canadian troops are fighting and dying in both Afghanistan and Pakistan in America's war on terror. But Hillary is willing to publicly snub them because the Swedes and the Inuits had been left off the invite list.

Obama already outraged the Canadians last year when he left Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper off a short list of world leaders he'd personally brief about his new strategy for Afghanistan. Now comes Hillary's snub. Meanwhile we're patiently negotiating with North Korea and Iran, supporting Marxist coups in Honduras, and promoting a Diversity Czar who writes glowingly about Venezuela.