Obama refuses to buy American again

As many Americans lose their homes and put up the house for a second mortgage, Hillary Clinton is spending $5.4 million to buy new crystal stemware for American embassies. But don't expect that money to help boost the American economy.

The contract was given to a tiny Washington, DC, interior designer, which in turn subcontracted the crystal work to a Swedish firm -- snubbing such US companies as the famous manufacturer in Clinton's own back yard, Steuben Crystal of upstate Corning.

The firm didn't even get a chance to bid on the contract, which will outfit embassies and ambassadors' residences with fancy crystal for ritzy functions.

Ironically, under the no-bid contract, some of the crystal is to be custom-crafted to include the seal of the United States, although Swedes will do all of the manufacturing.

This isn't the first time the Obama Administration has refused to buy American with taxpayer money. One of the many "green jobs" programs in the stimulus plan spent $2.1 million funding wind energy and the construction of new windmills. But 80% of the money went to foreign manufacturers and was thus lost to the American economy.

State Department apologizes to third-world despot

Last September, cartoonish Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi was invited to the United Nations in New York. There Qaddafi gave a rambling speech in which, among other things, he called for a jihad against Switzerland, defended the Taliban, demanded that American officials who initiated the war in Iraq to be tried, and wondered whether the swine flu was actually a biological warfare weapon. When asked about the speech six months later, chief State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said, "I saw that report and it just brought me back to a day in September, one of the more memorable sessions of the U.N. General Assembly that I can recall: lots of words and lots of papers flying all over the place, not necessarily a lot of sense."

Two days ago, Crowley actually apologized for that remark.

Chief department spokesman P.J. Crowley said he regretted any offense caused by his response to a reporter's question about Gadhafi's recent call for a holy war against Switzerland. Libya said last week it might take action against American business interests there if a formal apology was not made.

"I understand that my personal comments were perceived as a personal attack," Crowley told reporters. "The comments do not reflect U.S. policy and were not intended to offend. I apologize if they were taken that way. I regret that my comments have become an obstacle to further progress in our bilateral relationship."

The Libyans had been outraged by Crowley's gentle remark and demanded an apology. Crowley had met with the Libyan ambassador previously to try to smooth things over, but Qaddafi still wanted a statement of regret. The tyrant got what he wanted.

The incident stands in sharp contrast to the Obama Administration's approach to Great Britain, America's strongest ally. The Obama Administration has breached diplomatic protocol with the British several times, including the notorious episode when Obama gave Prime Minister Gordon Brown a set of American DVDs as a gift. No apology has ever been given and the British are atwitter over whether their special relationship with America has ended. Norway was also slighted by the president when he didn't attended lunch with King Harald V during his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance tour, a rite of passage for all Nobel recipients and a sign of goodwill to the Norwegians. Again there was no apology.

Obama has previously apologized to the Muslim world for American interventionism during his speech in Cairo, Egypt.

Thank goodness: Obama appoints another Islamic envoy

BHO's State Department already has its own special envoy to the Islamic world, Farah Pandith. But that didn't stop the president from reaching into his radical Justice Department and pulling out another one.

His name is Rashad Hussain. He's a former trial attorney at DOJ (naturally) and, of course, he's a die-hard left-winger. Hussain said in 2004 that terrorism sympathizer, Sami al-Arian, was the victim of "politically motivated persecutions" and was being used to "squash dissent." Actually, Al-Arian had been sentenced to four years in prison for acting as one of the leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a terrorist group responsible for the murder of more than 100 Israelis. Former attorney general John Ashcroft called the PIJ one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world. Al-Arian was also a university professor (yep, we were surprised too) as well as a PIJ terrorist.

So Barack Obama just appointed a terrorist sympathizer to represent America to the Muslim world. Then again, Hussain might fit in well. The group he's assigned to, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, is an alliance of Islamic nations that has declared "Islamophobia" to be the worst form of terrorism. Maybe Hussain can explain that to Khalid Sheik Mohammed. Or the panty bomber.

Religious freedom not a priority for Obama

Barack Obama has appointed an ambassador-at-large for women's issues, Melanne Verveer. He has appointed a special representative to Muslim communities, Farah Pandith. But he hasn't found time to pick an ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

The State Department has confirmed that the ambassadorship still remains open. The international religious freedom office was established at State back in 1998 and consistently filled by presidents until now. It's not an option either. The International Religious Freedom Act that created the office requires by law that the position be filled and that a report on religious liberty be submitted every year.

With countless czars clogging up his administration, Obama apparently can't be bothered to fill one post he desperately needs to.