How desperate did Barack Obama get to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay? Desperate enough to start acting like Monty Hall. However, even the legendary host of Let’s Make a Deal knew better than to offer himself as a prize:

Slovenia was told to take a prisoner if it wanted to meet with President Obama, while the island nation of Kiribati was offered incentives worth millions of dollars to take in Chinese Muslim detainees, cables from diplomats recounted.

Slovenia, it should be noted, is an American ally — a stable democracy in the Balkans with historic ties to the West, a member of the Eurozone, the WTO, and NATO.  Why would the US insist that only an agreement to host a terrorist would allow the Slovenian government to meet with Obama? Shouldn’t Obama already be meeting with Slovenia’s leadership?

Remember when Obama promised “smart power” and to repair our relationships with our allies?  How’s that working out?

Got an Obamateurism of the Day? If you see a foul-up by Barack Obama, e-mail it to me at [email protected] with the quote and the link to the Obamateurism. I’ll post the best Obamateurisms on a daily basis, depending on how many I receive. Include a link to your blog, and I’ll give some link love as well. And unlike Slate, I promise to end the feature when Barack Obama leaves office.

Illustrations by Chris Muir of Day by Day. Be sure to read the adventures of Sam, Zed, Damon, and Jan every day!