Excerpt:
President Barack Obama is back in the United States after a six-day trip to Europe that from start to finish was carefully planned to quell criticism from opponents that he is a lightweight on the world stage. With his poll numbers at all-time lows in the United States, undiscerning Europeans dutifully turned out in droves to fawn over Obama, thus handing the president (who has mostly ignored them since taking office) enduring images that his campaign managers are sure to use as political fodder in the months ahead.
Book-ended by picture-perfect visits to Ireland and Poland in an effort to reach out to important political constituencies back home, Obama also visited France and Britain, where he upgraded the relationship from "special" to "essential."