Obama's international diplomacy

So, how's it going for our "young, charismatic" leader?

This article from the Economist talks well about the embarassment that insued because Mr. President bowed to the Japanese Emperor.

Here, another Economist article talks through "Amateur Hour at the White House," with quotes from folks presiding over the Council for Foreign Relations.  Interesting to me that the Economist quotes CFR - I wonder if readers know who/what they are...

In general, regarding Mr. President, I'm still left with the question -

Penchant for conciliation is excellent - being viewed as passive isn't so excellent. Where's the balance?