After the U.S. markets tanked Friday, a full four days after the beginning of the Egyptian crisis, Obama finally addressed the nation. As usual, our president first absolved himself of any blame, stating that if only Egypt had instituted the reforms Obama had been suggesting for the last two years, the crisis could have been averted. He then went on to make a bold statement about human rights: "... and the U.S. will stand up for them — everywhere." Period.
By Saturday, the uprising in Egypt had spread to other countries, with waves of Arab protests in Jordan and Yemen. On Saturday night, Obama partied. "The Washington A-List was out in force Saturday night at the farewell party for senior adviser David Axelrod, with a roster of guests featuring Cabinet secretaries, big shot journos and Obama."
On Sunday, with the protests turning into a conflagration, the only word from the White House was that Hillary Clinton, our Secretary of State, was heading to Haiti to "mediate the political crisis." That's right, Haiti.
Meanwhile, the only information available to Americans comes from talking heads and the few journalists not hung-over from Saturday's rollicking good time at the White House. The only "official" information so far from the White House was Joe Biden's statement on Day 3 of the protests. Joe said that President Hosni Mubarak should not step down. He then proceeded to downplay the protests spreading across the Mideast as generally unconnected.
The world is left wondering what position America, the world's former superpower, will take. The only stance our administration has taken to date is a generic plea for an end to the violence and the oft-repeated call for human rights. Meanwhile, the world teeters on the brink as a global crisis with profound geopolitical implications for the U.S. continues to unfold.
Obama's 3 am moment has come. And gone. Obama was noticeably AWOL. America is now officially bereft of leadership, at least until the latest polls come in.
Under Obama's leadership, the U.S. has voluntarily ceded its authority as the world's super power. After all, according to Obama, all countries and cultures are equal. America's voice should be but one of many. This is now becoming a reality. Egypt continues to burn. And Obama parties and Twitters by proxy. Welcome to the new world order.
Nancy Morgan is a columnist and news editor for RightBias.com. She lives in South Carolina.