Like Carol Burnett’s famed Charwoman, the man with dreams took to the world stage with a multitude of missions, chief among them to clean up the tarnished image of the United States of America, the legacy of George W. Bush and the War on Terrorism.

Yes, President Barack Obama wanted NATO to give him troops to join in his new Afghanistan mission – they didn’t. He wanted the G-20 to join in a joint global economic initiative -- they didn’t. But even more than that, United States President Barack Obama wanted the world to know, specifically the Islamic world, that the arrogant nation they knew under President George W. Bush was history. 

More Telly Savalas, “who loves you baby,” than Michael Corleone, “Today I settled all family business,” Mr. and Mrs. Obama  dusted off America’s errant diplomacy skills, and with poise, finesse and a certain savoir-faire crossed the globe with America’s new Spic and Span image. 

In fact, White House Consigliore Rahm Emanuel said that the message sent from President Obama's first overseas trip is: "America is back," calling the restoration of America's standing an "intangible" gain from the trip. 

Like the Unsinkable Molly Brown, the “gauche” American who took the Crown Heads by storm, Barack and Michelle sashayed across the continents, he wowing them with his easy demeanor, she with her middle-class wardrobe and embracing arms. It made me wonder if they went to bed at night singing at their success:

“If they could see me now, that little gang of mine, I'm eating fancy chow, and drinking fancy wine. What a set up! Holy cow! They'd never believe it, if my friends could see me now!” Tra la la la..

“Traipsin’ ‘round the million dollar chicken coop” we call the world, an IPod for the Queen of England, a Gibson guitar for the chanteuse First Lady of France, Mrs. Bruni-Sarkozy, the Barack and Michelle Show was a tour de force.

Yet the most memorable gift America’s new president gave, was given to the Arab and Islamic World in the gift of words. Headlines were made when in his Ankara address, the President of the United States stated emphatically that the United States "is not and never will be at war with Islam." He also spoke of the Arab-Israeli peace process, saying he will "actively pursue" the goal of creating a Palestinian state alongside Israel, proclaiming by omission to Israel’s enemies, Israel’s needs are no longer indistinguishable from America’s.

Never mind that when North Korea defied the American President who had promised swift action if Kim Jong-il launched his missile, which he did, there with nary a response from the White House save empty rhetoric.

When asked about this, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “it is the appropriate attitude to have, vis-à-vis, a North Korea. We certainly have to focus in a general way, an international, global response to North Korea...or any other country that wants to develop a nuclear weapon...[Iran?] We cannot go in that direction. The new direction of President Obama is the strong one."

The mop and bucket President appears to have gone green, not in environmental product, but in cowardly lion green. At best he’s naïve. In terms of the Arab and Islamic world, one wonders why we should be apologizing for America’s past behavior? When radical jihadists killed 2000 Americans, did the Arab world stand up for America and against their own? No.

Obama who is said to have a great command of the English language, confuses arrogance with appropriate anger.

Readily, Obama was happy to accept that it was America’s responsibility for starting the financial crisis. He bowed to the Saudi King, whose greed and hunger for power may yet get the appropriate blame for one of the cogs in the wheel of the world’s financial debacle.

What Obama appears to have done as Charwoman in Chief, therefore, is to move the dust around rather than truly clean up the mess. The reality is that too many in Islam do hate the infidels. The “allies” do blame the U.S. for the world’s economic woes and no one is jumping in to help in Afghanistan, instead offering only a perfunctory role in the region, seeing the Taliban and terrorist camps in the area as solely America’s problem.

As for Israel, Obama appears to think that the countries who control the oil need to be appeased more than the one that is home to the Jewish Diaspora and has proven a staunch friend to the U.S., but more importantly, is a proven loyal and dependable like-minded democracy.

Barack Obama has many talents for which he should be admired. But he also has many weaknesses. His chief limitation is that he is an appeaser, a leader who sees his role as chief diffuser.

Barack Obama, the Charwoman, the American president who likes to sweep dirt under the rug.

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