Weaker and Meeker

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians poured into the streets in cities across the country the last few days to protest the fascist government of the Muslim Brotherhood and Mohammad Morsi.

The Obama administration has come in for some serious criticism as well, as the pics at Twitchywill show. Here's one:

Mr. Obama gave us to believe in 2008 that the reason the Arab world didn't like us was because of George Bush and his bullying ways. We were assured that a more deferential, conciliatory America, one led by a president eager to bow to Arab leaders and to help tyrants like Morsi tighten his grip over the Egyptian people, would be loved and appreciated in the Arab world.

Before the confetti had been swept up from his first Inaugural Ball Mr. Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for having said many deferential and conciliatory things. The world swooned. Peace was at hand. That was yesterday, before Libya, before Syria, before Iran, before Morsi. Now the Arab world disdains us, or at least our president, and the Europeans, in the wake of the NSA spying revelations, are growing distinctly chilly. The world chortles as the Russians, the Chinese, and the Ecuadorans each in turn thumb their noses at our president as he implores them to remit Edward Snowden into our custody.

We've managed to offend our friends and have failed to instill respect in our enemies. The Middle East is coming undone. We're promising to send military aid to the rebels in Syria, the very people who are beheading; Christian priests.

Meanwhile, we are dismantling our own military and are eager to dismantle our nuclear deterrent as well. Our enemies are growing in strength, belligerency and boldness while we deliberately make ourselves weaker and meeker.

Is this the "smart power" we were promised that an Obama administration would bring to bear on foreign affairs?