Sometimes You Can See How Bad a Decision Was by Imagining It in a More Familiar Context — Take President Obama’s Decision to Skip Visiting Malaysia, the Philippines, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit — due to the 2013 Government Shutdown

08 October 2013

A leader who has difficulty properly prioritizing and envisioning the results of his or her actions is one who will ultimately fail

President Obama has demonstrated repeatedly that he is a short term thinker, a trait that has prevented him from achieving the kinds of things that effective leaders are known for.

For example, when Republicans forced a government shutdown, the President shortened his Asia trip and skipped planned visits to Malaysia, the Philippines, and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.

I suspect that the President’s thinking was that he had better appear to be concerned for the American audience, even though he already knew that he was not going to back down enough regarding ObamaCare funding to get Republican nut cases to permit a reopening. In effect, the President threw away a possible something in Asia in order to get a nothing at home.

If you are trying to improve relationships with your neighbors, you do not do something that clearly indicates “they ain’t squat.” Asian leaders almost certainly were offended by the President’s “slap your face” lack of tact:

As Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said, “We prefer a U.S. president who is able to travel and fulfill his international duties to one who is preoccupied with national domestic affairs.”

That sounds like a mild comment. But in Asia’s characteristically polite speak, that’s a slap-back of sizeable proportion.

Was Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s comment justified, as an appraisal of Obama’s poor leadership skills?

Yes.

The American President allowed a bunch of Republican nitwits in the House of Representatives to torpedo his self-pronounced “Asia pivot” policy.

In essence, the U.S. President is so weak that the American Rabble’s nut cases are running our foreign policy. No wonder the Prime Minister was not impressed.

Was damage done?

Extrapolate Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s negative impression to the Pacific Rim nations of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit:

Australia

Brunei Darussalam

Canada

Chile

Chinese Taipei

Hong Kong

Indonesia

Japan

Republic of Korea

Malaysia

Mexico

New Zealand

Papua New Guinea

People's Republic of China

Peru

Philippines

Singapore

Thailand

Vietnam

That’s quite a few worthy people to offend in one swat.

Bloomberg Businessweek’s Diane Brady summed it up

Boorish American behavior does not look good abroad:

[T]he reality is that Obama could have stayed on top of the congressional standoff and put in a brief but potent appearance at APEC.

After making it clear Friday that he wasn’t going to “negotiate with a gun held to the head of the American people,” the president could have immediately boarded Air Force One for a 21-hour flight to Indonesia, stepped off for a few hours to meet key leaders and address the world, then head home to be in Washington by Monday.

What better way to prove that the country’s long-term fortunes can’t be subjected to what he considers to be Republican roulette?

He would have shown the courageous leadership that seems to be lacking on the home front.

And he would shown respect to other leaders who have to sell controversial pro-American policies to their people.

The intangible but potentially most important cost to Obama’s disregard for the consequences of continually canceling important dates.

We saw it in June when Michelle Obama declined to meet with China’s First Lady Peng Liyuan because of her daughters’ school schedules (an excuse that did not endear her to most working women).

We’ve seen it when Obama canceled last year’s APEC appearance in Vladivostok and this year’s event in Bali. Indonesians, once proud to claim Obama as one of their own because of his childhood years in the country, are sick of being treated as back-up dates.

No wonder the Jakarta Post [actually this was the Jakarta Globe] called the U.S. a “diminished superpower” and reacted to Kerry’s speech with the headline: “U.S. underrates APEC issues as Kerry rants on shutdown woes.”

Imagine this a another way

You are CEO of an international corporation.

Would you cancel meetings with major business clients by announcing that you have a rebellion in the lunch room to deal with?

The moral? — A weak leader with a self-involved narcissist’s priorities

The President is often not an especially positive offset to the pigheaded Republican fools, who are doing their best to tear America down.

PeteFree.com

Sometimes You Can See How Bad a Decision Was by Imagining It in a More Familiar Context — Take President Obama’s Decision to Skip Visiting Malaysia, the Philippines, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit — due to the 2013 Government Shutdown