The Jerusalem Post reports that Netanyahu will be in Washington all next week. Guess who he won't be meeting with:

As of press time, the Prime Minister's Office said no formal meeting had been scheduled with US President Barack Obama during the visit, which could last through the week. No departure date has been set.

Netanyahu and Obama last met in New York in September on the sidelines of the opening of the United Nation's General Assembly session.

Obama plans to speak at the UJC event on Tuesday, in what will be his first speech to a Jewish audience at a public event since his election a year ago.

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor told The Jerusalem Post that nothing had been planned in terms of a Netanyahu-Obama sit-down while the prime minister is in town. "There is no scheduled meeting," he said.

No direct, presidential diplomacy? Or is that just for our enemies? Of course they will, ultimately, have a meeting -- not even the deep hostility this administration harbors for the Israeli government blinds them to the political fallout that would come from such a diplomatic diss. This president has already stirred fears among otherwise liberal, yellow dog Democrat Jews. And he's already convinced the Israeli public that he is not a friend -- his favorable rating in Israel hovers somewhere around 5 percent. The White House doesn't need any more trouble on this front.

Bibi knows the White House will call, though maybe not before they spend another couple days digging the hole a little deeper. Presumably this stall is some kind of "smart power" play, part of some hidden, grand strategy that will see Iran and North Korea give up their nuclear programs, Hamas lay down its arms, and China sign on to cap and trade in a win-win-win-win four-way trade (remember, this isn't a zero-sum game!). But it fits a general theme: Obama likes to treat his friends like enemies and his enemies like friends. While the White House gives Bibi the cold shoulder, State Department officials are on their way home from meetings with the Burmese junta.

And why do they keep sending Vietor to deliver the bad news?