The phone is ringing.

Now, if it’s anything like my house, when my husband’s phone goes off at 0300, he doesn’t hear it at first. This is the man who can sleep through a screaming infant, whom I’ve roused at all hours of the night during Oklahoma hailstorms, and who has been known to sleep through a howling Husky (which is actually rather impressive). But after I shake him, elbow him once or twice, and then shove him towards his nightstand, he usually hears it.

If rioters outside a US embassy who climb over the walls, take our flag, and replace it with theirs isn’t the diplomatic equivalent to a wife’s elbow in the back, I’m not really sure what is. Add that to a second riot in Libya with four Americans dying, and you’ve got a full-fledged three am phone call and no one answering the phone.

Whoever is in charge of the US embassy in Cairo tweeted a sort of apology: “We condemn the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims.” In case that wasn’t clear enough, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton followed it up with: “The U.S. deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious belief of others.”

And then they walked it all back the next day.

There were no shots fired on the embassy’s behalf when those rioters stormed our embassy and took our flag—the flag that Americans have fought and died for since 1777—and replaced it with an Islamic flag that strangely enough resembles al-Qaeda’s. There were no shots fired in the defense of the embassy staff in Benghazi. Supposedly this is all about a movie clip that’s been up on YouTube since July, and if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you. In the Sahara Desert.

Tuesday was the same day that our president refused to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing scheduling issues—as he taped a performance with Letterman and campaigned. It was the same day that our president released a message to the Arab Forum and our attorney general attended the forum as the administration’s representative. Certainly this is ill-timed and out of touch. Just Monday came the news that the president has missed over half of his intelligence briefings. Now, one could argue that perhaps he thought they were his jobs council briefings, but in a time of such international turmoil, it would be nice if the president would attend his intelligence briefings, and maybe talk to our allies (like Israel!).

Wednesday, he appeared in a fury—but not over the deaths of Americans and the rioting. Oh, no, it was that Mitt Romney would deign to have an opinion on the issue. After a few words, Obama—still with no time to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu—ended up only delaying his departure for Vegas for roughly an hour, where he compared the trials the embassy staff went through to his campaign staff. Oy vey.

The Libyan and Egyptian governments have apologized—sort of. But even then, our administration continues to say they support religious tolerance (unless you’re Catholic and you don’t want to pay for other people’s birth control!). Look for continued excuses from the Left on why we should be more understanding and tolerant. After all, those poor Muslims just can’t help themselves, rioting in defense of their prophet. It’s really our fault, you see, that some American or European or someone had the audacity (the nerve!) to say something against their prophet, or draw him or otherwise illustrate him. Poor dears.

In other words, bless their hearts, they just lack self-control. This is the ultimate soft bigotry of the Left. Inner city students can’t succeed because they’re black. Mexicans can’t get visas because they’re Hispanic or something. We have to give women birth control because they can’t figure out how to not get pregnant on their own. And don’t offend those Muslims because they’ll riot uncontrollably!

The Egyptians and Libyans ought to be ashamed (but they won’t be). If the Middle Eastern countries put half the energy into developing their countries and actually doing something productive instead of rioting and whining about how poorly America treats them, perhaps they’d actually be worthy of their history. It would be nice if our Congress would do something, like yank the foreign aid to all the rioting countries (now including Yemen, Kuwait, Morocco, Algeria, the Sudan, and Bangladesh!).

And please, someone tell this administration that in America, we believe in the free exercise of our Constitutional rights, and we don’t apologize for it. If I offend you, sucks to be you. You have a right to free speech, but nowhere in our Constitution is a guarantee that you’ll never be offended by someone else exercising their right to free speech.

Our president ought to be ashamed, but he won’t be. Instead, our president will go on, appearing on such hard-hitting shows as Letterman and The View (I’m sure there’s an upcoming appearance!). He’ll continue ignoring Prime Minister Netanyahu right up until we get dragged into a war we don’t need.

Eventually, when forced to pay attention, he’ll make a big show of coming off the campaign trail and set about “reconciling” people again, then turn around and use it as a campaign stunt. Only this time, it won’t work.

At what point do we conclude that his apology tour is done? That no matter what he says, we’re not better off, domestically or in the foreign policy arena, than we were four years ago? When do we say enough is enough? It’s one thing for Clint Eastwood to talk to an empty chair, but it’s another thing to actually realize that the chair IS empty.

And the phone is still ringing…