According to reports in Israeli media, Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid's urgent request to hold an emergency telephone conversation with U.S. President Joe Biden to discuss the looming nuclear deal with Iran was rebuffed — with the excuse that the American president was "on vacation."

According to Israel's Channel 13, Lapid sought to speak with Biden in an attempt to prevent a return to the 2015 JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) nuclear pact, but U.S. officials denied the request, simply informing Lapid that Biden "is on vacation."  End of story, I guess.  But this makes it difficult for the poor souls who, for whatever reason, need to speak to the current American commander-in-chief, as Biden is almost always "on vacation."

Is this the right way to treat arguably your closest ally and the only representative democracy in the Middle East?  This administration has a history of feting our enemies and non-citizens while screwing over our allies and natural citizens.  Weird...and one would think counterintuitive to anyone hoping to remain in office.

I wonder how the White House phone message tree is set up now, what messages and prompts various incoming calls receive.  Perhaps:

*"Press 1 if you'd like to speak to 'The Big Guy.'"  BEEP.  "Sorry, the president is on vacation.  Good-bye."

*"Press 2 if your nation is about to be attacked by Russia or Iran."  BEEP.  "We're sorry, but President Biden is away from his desk right now.  He may be back in a week or two.  Please press the pound sign to leave a message."

*"Press 3 if you are inquiring about Hunter."  BEEP.  "He's the smartest guy we know, so go take a long walk off a short pier, loser."

*"Press 4 if you have concerns about China, its policies, treatment of the Uyghurs, threats to its neighbors, etc."  BEEP.  "We're sorry, but your call cannot be completed as dialed.  Good-bye."

*"Press 5 if you'd like to complain about the president's decision to forgive student loan debt or to add 87,000 new IRS employees."  BEEP.  "Your call is very important to us, which is why we can't answer it now.  Please stay on the line.  Your expected hold time is...18,257 minutes."

Image via Public Domain Pictures.