Politico Magazine has a special report up called, “Obama’s World: America’s 25 Most Awkward Allies.” The list is endless and includes Equatorial Guinea and Turkey and Bahrain. The story begins:

“Let’s be honest,” [National Security Adviser Susan Rice] said, “at times … we do business with governments that do not respect the rights we hold most dear.”

American presidents have long wrestled with this dilemma… [Politico has] put together a damning, revelatory collection of reports on the following pages about the “imperfect choices” the United States has made…

Here’s the list of 25 Awkward allies:

Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Myanmar, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Tajikistan, Rwanda, Cambodia, Honduras, Uganda, Qatar, UAE, Kyrgyzstan, Kenya, Djibouti, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Turkey.

The absence of Israel is laughable. Obama has been repeatedly attacked by Israeli politicians and the country’s U.S. supporters for not being more supportive, and for not visiting Israel in his first term. He corrected that alleged error in his second term. He has met with Prime Minister Netanyahu 12 times, as of yesterday; and the relationship has been famously strained. Even American media bridled when Netanyahu lectured Obama at the White House three years ago, and when France’s Sarkozy called Netanyahu a liar in a private conversation that went out on an open mike, Obama said, “You’re tired of him; what about me? I have to deal with him every day.” Yesterday the pool reporter said that John Kerry got a “grave” expression as Netanyahu defied the president again on his push for two states in the Middle East, saying:

Israel has been doing its part and I regret to say that the Palestinians have not. … Mr. President, I think it is about time for the Palestinian people to recognize a state for the Jewish people. In the Middle East, the only peace that can endure is the peace we can defend. The people of Israel expect me to stay strong for the future of the only Jewish state.

Politico’s oversight is further evidence, the Israel lobby is embedded in the US press.