There is no policy direction coming from the White House on any of our international challenges. An Iraq policy? Nope. A coherent plan for Syria? Zip.

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Likewise, he’s backed himself into a corner by refusing to go to the border. The excuse — no photo ops! — is bizarre considering he’s the king of photo ops and, in any event, this is a real crisis. His new nemesis, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R), nailed it when he said, “So actions are really important. Unless we see this president acting, the American people are going to think that he does not care about securing the border. I think that’s the real political issue for this president. . . . I don’t understand why the president has dug his heels in and basically said to Democrats and Republicans alike, ‘I’m not going because it will look political.’” Perry is in good company. And on this one Obama has made it nearly impossible to relent since a visit now would surely been seen as a political capitulation.

At home, he won’t make a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline, despite pleas from members of his own party. He won’t rouse the Senate to consider dozens and dozens of House-passed bills. Certainly some of them must be acceptable, right? He’s stopped putting forth any entitlement reforms.

You wonder what he plans on doing for the rest of his presidency. He is not doing the day-to-day things every president does (e.g. call allies, check out a local disaster). And he’s not generating any policy. (Is he depressed? Bored?) You sort of wonder what is the point of being president if you don’t plan on doing anything but rewinding tired campaign speeches.

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