Updated

During his tenure, President Obama occasionally has been inspiring, sometimes perplexing and, more often, infuriating. His recent appearances provoke another reaction. He looks and sounds pathetic, a shrunken figure detached from reality.

Always half-hearted about the war on terror, the President’s stubborn refusal to call the atrocity in Paris “Islamic terrorism” has put him out of step with events. In listless, vapid remarks, he called the death of 130 innocent victims a “setback,” and salted the wound by insisting that climate change is a greater threat.

And now, with the slaughter in San Bernardino showing Islamic State tentacles reaching America, the president’s continuing unwillingness to admit the truth puts him even further outside the mainstream of American society and law enforcement.

By closing his mind to facts, Obama is making himself a denier.

America is at war and the Commander in Chief isn’t even trying to lead from behind anymore. He’s gone AWOL at the worst possible time.

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