From the:

Gerald Warner

President Barack Obama has recently completed the most successful foreign policy tour since Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow. You name it, he blew it. What was his big deal economic programme that he was determined to drive through the G20 summit? Another massive stimulus package, globally funded and co-ordinated. Did he achieve it? Not so as you’d notice.

Barack Obama in Prague on his astonishingly successful tour

Barack is not the first New World ingenue to discover that European leaders will load him with praise, struggle sycophantically to be photographed with him and outdo him in Utopian rhetoric. But when it comes to the critical moment of opening their wallets – suddenly it is flag-day in Aberdeen. Okay, put the G20 down to inexperience, beginner’s nerves, what you will.

On to Nato and the next big objective: to persuade the same European evasion experts that America, Britain and Canada should no longer bear the brunt of the Afghan struggle virtually unassisted. The Old World sucked through its teeth, said that was asking a lot – but, seeing it was Barack, to whom they could refuse nothing, they would graciously accede to his wishes.

So The One retired triumphant, having secured a massive contribution of 5,000 extra troops – all of them non-combatant, of course – which must really have put the wind up the Taliban, at the prospect of 5,000 more infidel cooks and bottle-washers swarming into the less hazardous regions of Afghanistan.

Then came the dramatic bit, the authentic West Wing script, with the President wakened in the middle of the night in Prague to be told that Kim Jong-il had just launched a Taepodong-2 missile. America had Aegis destroyers tracking the missile and could have shot it down. But Uncle Sam had a sterner reprisal in store for l’il ole Kim (as Dame Edna might call him): a multi-megaton strike of Obama hot air.

I know, I know I’m a racist for posting this…

From WSJ Opinion Journal

President Obama surprised the world yesterday with an unannounced visit to Baghdad, where he met Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and praised the courage and perseverance of America’s troops. But the most pleasant surprise has been Mr. Obama’s near-about face on Iraq since becoming President.

Speaking to GIs in one of Saddam Hussein’s old palaces, Mr. Obama ticked off America’s accomplishments in Iraq: “From getting rid of Saddam, to reducing violence, to stabilizing the country, to facilitating elections — you have given Iraq the opportunity to stand on its own as a democratic country. That is an extraordinary achievement.”

The President also stressed the importance of a responsible troop withdrawal, calling the next 18 months a “critical period” for the country. He’s right. A recent spate of car bombings in Baghdad may not represent a trend — overall levels of violence remain at post-invasion lows — but they are a reminder that Iraq will continue to need a stabilizing American presence.

This is rich! This guy never ceases to amaze, anti-war in the run up to getting the nomination of his Party, Complete withdrawal while running for president to the public (phased over 18 moths but that number fluctuated daily with most of his supporters believing he’d order a complete withdrawal in the first six months of his admin. ), and now after basically taking credit for the “extraordinary achievement.” in Iraq  he’s calling the next 18 months a “critical period” ?

The many Faces of Barack indeed!