“And let’s face it, Obama, whether deservedly or not, does have a — I’ll say it crudely, but a manhood problem in the Middle East,” Brooks said. “Is he tough enough to stand up to somebody like Assad or Putin? A lot of the rap is unfair, but certainly in the Middle East, there’s an assumption he’s not tough.”

“Internally they fear this,” Todd said. “It’s not just Bob Corker saying it, questioning whether the president is being alpha male — that’s essentially what he’s saying, he’s not alpha dog enough, his rhetoric isn’t tough enough. They agree with the policy decisions, but it’s the rhetoric. Internally, this is a question.”