As they say over at Small Dead Animals, here is where we juxtapose:

1)  Sudan won’t allow the United States to send a platoon of Marines to protect its embassy from rioting Muslims.

According to a report released by the SUNA state news agency, the country’s government formally rejected the request Saturday. The news agency quoted Sudan’s Foreign Minister, Ali Ahmed Karti, as saying, “Sudan is able to protect the diplomatic missions in Khartoum and the state is committed to protecting its guests in the diplomatic corps.”

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland confirmed Saturday in a terse statement that the Sudanese government had “recommitted itself both publicly and privately to continue to protect our Mission, as it is obligated to do under the Vienna Convention. We are continuing to monitor the situation closely to ensure we have what we need to protect our people and facility.”

The U.S. decided Friday to send in a group of 50 Marines after rioting Muslim breached security at the embassy in Khartoum and entered the compound, which is located outside the city. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Washington official said the Marines were already on their way to Khartoum when word was received the request was rejected. They were called back, pending further discussions.

2) U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice told me this morning on “This Week” that the United States is not “impotent” in the face of violent protests sweeping the Muslim world being aimed at American interests.

“We’re not impotent, were not even less popular to challenge that assessment” said Rice. ” What happened this week in Cairo, in Benghazi and many other parts of the region was a result, a direct result, of a heinous and offensive video that was widely disseminated, that the U.S. government had nothing to do with, which we have made clear is reprehensible and disgusting.”