The situation in Iraq highlights Obama's dilemma: In his foreign policy, he often acts with one eye on U.S. domestic policy, and can be alarmingly passive and indecisive.
Jon Stewart leaves his "Daily Show" on Comedy Central. What a loss. Stewart provided a counter-image of the United States to the world using political satire.
American mercenaries in Eastern Ukraine? Should this assumption by the German federal intelligence service (BND) actually be true, this would be a disaster for the West. A civil war would be fueled instead of prevented.
The Ukraine crisis has brought Germany and the United States closer together, but the NSA spying scandal has left deep wounds. Ironically, the monitored chancellor must forgive three lies during her U.S. trip.
Obama has to face the grim prospect that despite acceptable economic indicators, he will go down as one of the weakest presidents ever in the history of the United States.