Japan: Where Is Obama?

Given the enormity of the disaster in Japan, I again find myself asking, where is Obama? Yes, I know: There was the brief March 11 statement in which he offered his condolences. But where are the offers of technical cooperation, rescue assistance, medical help and basic human needs, e.g., food and blankets? Is this any way to treat an ally?

And forgive me for daring to ask the unimaginable: Notwithstanding the radiation risk, why can't the president bring himself to visit Tokyo? This gesture would be remembered for generations to come.

Or at least send Hillary, who in the past told tall tales of bravery under sniper fire in Bosnia.

But why should we fool ourselves? Obama is not a leader, and this "reflective" president likes to watch as developments unfold in the Far East and, as we have already painfully learned, in the Middle East.

Regarding the Middle East. I noted in my prior blog entry that Hillary is currently not welcome in Saudi Arabia. Now, we learn:

"A coalition of six youth groups that emerged from Egypt’s revolution last month has refused to meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who arrived in Cairo earlier today, in protest of the United States’ strong support for former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak who was ousted by the uprising."

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/03/young-leaders-of-egypts-revolt-snub-clinton-in-cairo.html

U.S. prestige around the globe has never been lower.