"I have traveled abroad at regular intervals since Obama entered the White House and the decline in his global image among the elites I interact with has been discernible. Early in his presidency, my foreign interlocutors sounded as blinkered and starry eyed as any Grant Park attendee. But with each new trip, I have noticed that the fervency receded and the doubts mounted. And now when I talk with government insiders, people with actual experience dealing with the U.S. government (as opposed to watching it on BBC and the Daily Show), there is often a quietly expressed nostalgia for earlier administrations -- even, gasp, the Bush administration. A grudging consensus appears to be emerging: that President Obama gives good speeches, but even three years into his term he has not yet hit his stride on the nitty-gritty of actually leading as president, domestically or globally. (Interestingly, my interlocutors are much quicker to give Secretary Clinton strong marks. They seem to attribute any good things to her and any bad things to the president.)"
From FP magazine - I warned y'all about this guy - it's amazing how many ostensibly intelligent people allowed themselves to be beguiled into thinking Obama was fit to be president. Reminds me of what I said a while back, mimicking the old joke about opera [the problem with opera is all the singing] - the problem with democracy is people get to vote.
