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A headline the other day called President Obama a “reluctant warrior.” It was half-right. He’s reluctant, but not much of a warrior.

His feckless, indulgent dithering while Syria burns would be the low point of his foreign policy except for the fact that it is alarmingly typical. The president from the faculty lounge is proving again that he is simply no match for determined adversaries, terrorists and genocidal maniacs.

From the upheavals of the so-called Arab Spring to the “reset” with Russia to the “engagement” with Iran, Obama’s sophomoric habit of leading from behind has reduced the planet’s lone superpower to a paper tiger and emboldened those who would do us harm.

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Nearly five years into his presidency, it is still Amateur Hour in the White House.

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The debacle in Syria illustrates what’s wrong with his worldview. While the president was busy apologizing for America, Syria exploded into a civil war that is spreading into other countries and could destabilize the entire region. Believing his rhetoric and pique would pass for a policy, Obama backed himself into a corner with no good options.

We can’t know what would have happened if America had played from its strengths. We only know disaster has followed his reckless decision to abdicate our leadership position.

To continue reading Michael Goodwin's column in the New York Post, click here.