Among the most annoying claims of candidate Barack Obama in 2008 was the promise that he would give America "smart diplomacy." Coming from an amateur dependent on the advice of academic theoreticians like Susan Rice, the hubris was overwhelming.

Three years later, Obama is turning out to be a diplomatic disaster, alienating key allies, encouraging disasters like the "Arab Spring" (in reality, "jihad spring"), embarrassing the country with gimmicks like the mistranslated "reset" button for Russia (about to slip even further in the direction of Soviet-style tyranny as Putin plans a return to direct leadership), and indulging in his habit of arrogantly lecturing others on topics where his understanding is at best shallow.