It is an uncomfortable fact for all Americans, even for opponents of President Obama, that his catastrophic pusillanimity in world power politics has made him an object of open derision overseas, even from high officials of major powers. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin tweeted the following juxtaposed pictures.

The sad fact is that the vanishing red line approach to foreign affairs invites such invidious selection of photos. And not for the first time, either.

Once upon a time, before he had a track record as President of the United States, Barack Obama could go overseas and receive adulation, as in Berlin during the 2008 campaign. Those days are gone.

And it is not a good thing for the United States to be led by a man regarded as  wimp overseas. Weakness is provocative, encouraging those seeking more power to act. The next two and a half years are going to be a very dangerous period for America and the world.