Hope and Change overtook the country last year like a plague of biblical locust with the solemn pledge that the new administration consisting of the Messiah and his disciples would not only change the tenor of negative sentiment in America but would be received with open arms by leaders around the world.  We would be seen as partners on the world stage rather than oppressors and the world would join us in a big pile of loving diplomacy.

With the first quarter of Barack Obama’s allotted time in the oval office running out, it’s apparent that nobody told those foreign leaders that their resistance is futile.

It began last March with the Obama administration’s feeble attempt to play big boy diplomacy with the Russians.  The administration thought it would be a good idea to let bygones be bygones and start fresh with the once great competing super power.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton proudly presented Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with a bright red button that was supposed to be emblazoned with the word “Reset” written in Russian.  Instead the button actually translated to read “Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries”….Okay, so it actually translated to read “Overcharge”, but it may as well have said “Clueless”. 

That was the cue the Russians took when they negotiated with Obama to cease the missile defense system proposed by President Bush to be located in the Czech Republic.  Obama cancelled the missile defense plan to get the Russians onboard with his attempts to pressure Iran to give up their nuclear ambitions.  But once Obama showed his cards and officially announced the defense plan was cancelled the Russians backed out of the deal leaving him and the USA with nothing but a diplomatic wedgie.

As one of his first priorities Obama made a special effort to appeal to Muslims, broadcasting an impassioned speech on Al Jazeera about how the USA and Muslims can all get along and work together.  Muslims responded by increasing their bombings of civilian targets, increasing attacks on American military installations and personnel and hailing a crazed Muslim terrorist that killed 13 unarmed military members at Fort Hood as a hero.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has fallen from Obama’s grace due to her opposition of Obama proposals to the point that he refused her invitation to speak at the ceremony in her home town celebrating the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. French President Nicholas Sarkozy is off the Obama Christmas card list due to his opposition of Obama policies as well.  Italy made it clear through their Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti that they will strongly oppose Obama’s disastrous fiscal plan for the World Bank and the international credit markets.   And now our long time ally Japan is handing Obama his hat and showing him the door.

During his visit to Tokyo last month Obama met with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to put the finishing touches on a plan to move the American Air Base in Okinawa to a new location on the island.  Obama was obviously so persuasive that now Prime Minister Hatoyama wants the air base that has been there since the end of World War II and the 36,000 military members stationed there removed from the island completely.

Come on people, where’s the love?

Barack Obama continues circling the globe singing that 1972 Don McLean song “Everybody Loves Me Baby – What’s The Matter With You” (thanks again to my wasted youth for pulling that song title out of obscurity)

This was supposed to be so easy.  He promised us it would be easy.  He promised us that all we had to do was quit acting like a superpower and the world would offer us their hand of friendship.

After a year of neophyte diplomatic debacle and deep demeaning bows to pompous potentates, instead of a hand the world is offering him a single finger.