Originally Posted by SteveZ

You use a word with special meaning - leadership!

Being a leader requires acting like one, because your actions have special meaning to those behind you (whom you are supposed to be leading) and those in front of you (whose actions towards the US will be based on the leader's backbone, or lack thereof). When the "leader" loses the faith of those behind him/her, those in front (a.k.a. Foreign Policy targets) of him/her tend to be more demonstrative, and foreign policy becomes defensive.

President Obama was elected not because he was the desired choice of the majority, but that his opponent lost the support of many of his party's sub-groups. He was unknown on the international scene and totally inexperienced in dealing with other heads-of-state. President Obama still has to "earn his stars" as a national leader, especially if he wants to remain in government housing beyond 2012. Bowing to those who are his international peers (and I'm being generous with that label) and his rhetoric to date have made "waffle" the expectation.

Here's hoping the in-flight entertainment on Air Force One starts showing "Midway," "We Were Soldiers," and "Apollo 13."