If the rap on Bush 43 was that he wanted to be policeman to the world, Obama seems to have the same ambition—only to do it on the cheap. Bush failed at his “mission accomplished” while spending a lot of money; Obama is failing while spending less.

Yes, Obama presided over the withdrawal American forces from Iraq, and announced a timetable for their pullout from Afghanistan. Still, he seeks to project U.S. force around the globe, regardless of priority or magnitude of crisis, as if our military was a hybrid of cops and Hessians. No matter seems too small for Obama’s attention, even if the upside for America is negligible or nonexistent.

Take the Middle East as an example. In Libya, he sought to lead from behind, only to see our embassy in Benghazi sacked by jihadists. In Syria he made chemical weapons a “red line,” and then folded in the face of public outcry and congressional opposition. At no time did Obama lay out what America’s vital interest might be in either hot spot. But it didn’t end there.