Obama's failure of leadership

Jennifer Rubin:

In a series of events yesterday President Obama’s failure of leadership on the domestic and foreign policy fronts was on display. We received another warning of a debt-rating downgrade, and two embassies were attacked, with several Americans killed. The red light is flashing over the White House: FAIL.

The Post reports on the deaths of the U.S. ambassador in Libya and others after an Islamist attack on the U.S. Embassy:

U.S. Ambassador to Libya John Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed Tuesday in an assault on the American consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi, the White House said.

In a statement issued by the White House early Wednesday morning, President Obama said he had directed an increase in security at U.S. diplomatic posts around the world. CNN reported that the Defense Department has dispatched two Marine anti-terrorism security teams to Benghazi to reinforce security there

An increase in security? That’s it? The president’s statement was farcical, issuing an empty condemnation with no statement regarding an appropriate U.S. response or our determination to go after those responsible. The president seemed to acknowledge the purported motivation for the attacks (release of clips from a film defaming the prophet Mohammed) while saying it still didn’t justify the attack. He said: “While the United States rejects efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others, we must all unequivocally oppose the kind of senseless violence that took the lives of these public servants.” Wrong. The Islamists need no excuse to attack, and we would do well to stop feeding the narrative that Western “insensitivity” sparks violence.

And then there was Egypt. Before Islamist mobs attacked the embassy, the U.S. Embassy in Cairo issued a sort of apology for the anti-Mohammed film, condemning “the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims — as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions.” Late in the day Secretary of State Hillary Clinton disavowed the statement, but she, like the president, could only come up with words of sympathy for the dead Americans and a useless condemnation of the violence. This was fecklessness personified. Every embassy around the world should be forewarned; anti-American forces can certainly be emboldened today.

These assaults were quite simply acts of war, attacks on U.S. sovereignty and the murder of our citizens. The president’s appallingly weak reaction to the incidents yesterday in Benghazi as well as the assault on our embassy in Cairo highlights just how unprepared and disengaged he is on matters of national security. Before our eyes, in the maelstrom at two embassies and in the economic doldrums, he is transforming into Jimmy Carter.

... 

She is also critical of Obama's lack of leadership on another potential downgrade of the US credit rating.  Her point on this being part of a war effort is valid.  These periodic tantrums over perceived insults to Islam need to be dealt with in a more robust way.  Namby pamby apologies are not going to change anyone's mind but they will convey a sense of weakness that should be avoided.