It's hard to lead from a bowing position

President Obama, trying to escape the turmoil he has created in the USA with an overaggressive legislative agenda, is spending time overseas – but obviously, he is way over his head abroad, too.

Obama sets the record for countries visited during a president's first year. In 10 months' time, he has visited 20 countries. Even with all his globetrotting, Obama returns from his multitude of trips with no real accomplishments or agreements. His most recent expedition to Asia was an abject failure for America.

Proudly strutting into office promising a new foreign policy based on cooperation and international brotherhood, Obama pledged to do away with what he called "Bush's cowboy diplomacy." Rather, he would sit down with world leaders, playing nicey-nice, building a multilateral consensus. His magic words may have persuaded naïve American voters, but thus far he is having no such luck when it comes to foreign heads of state.

Obama is no stranger to failure in foreign relations, unless you believe apologizing for your country's past defines success. In previous attempts at diplomacy, Obama failed to negotiate commitments from Europe on troops in Afghanistan, bowed to the king of Saudi Arabia and botched our once close relationship with the British.

Obama's Asian trip soured rapidly after he bowed before the emperor of Japan. Obama has shown a penchant for prostrating himself before foreign leaders, giving visual representation to how he is seeking to submit America to the desires of foreign powers. Obama bent so low it approached the level of groveling to the diminutive son of the man who ordered the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Next, when attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Obama shook hands with Gen. Thein Sein, the prime minister appointed by a vicious and brutal military junta in Myanmar. By shaking hands and meeting with this unelected dictator, Obama sends a message to all those fighting for freedom across the world: America is no longer standing with you, but with your oppressors.

In China, Obama was pushed around by those from whom he is borrowing more and more money. Obama failed to gain any commitments from the Chinese regarding their repression of human rights. His creditors also greatly restricted his ability to speak to the Chinese people. Obama was allowed one highly scripted town hall meeting that was not broadcast on state-run television, as he had expected. While he was in China, the Chinese verbally attacked American economic policy. To top it off, the Chinese signaled they would block American-led efforts to sanction Iran for its nuclear program.

Other world leaders know weakness when they see it.

To complete the disastrous list of disappointments, Obama failed to make any progress on North Korea. Upon meeting with Russian Prime Minister Medvedev, Obama announced the U.S. would not complete a new nuclear disarmament agreement to replace the START treaty that expires on Dec. 5. Evidently, receiving a Nobel Peace Prize is much easier to do than reaching agreements that merit one.

In the biggest blow to Obama's agenda, leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum dropped efforts to reach a binding international climate-change agreement. Obama's misguided efforts to lead a worldwide healing of the planet will, fortunately, have to wait for now.

In response to Obama's repeated failures in China, Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs downplayed the trip, saying they "did not think the waters would part and everything would change as a result of his two-and-a-half-day trip to China." Now, compare team Obama's current complaints about high expectations with promises from June 2008. It was Obama himself who loftily proclaimed after securing the Democratic nomination for president, "This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on earth."

When you are down bowing to another leader, it is very hard position in which to lead the free world. Obama's way over his head, and it shows.

Floyd and Mary Beth Brown are columnists and best-selling authors. Floyd is president of the Western Center for Journalism. An archive of their writings is available at www.floydbrown.com.