It Takes a King

SAN DIEGO -- When making excuses for inaction on difficult issues, President Obama has declared that he is "not a king."

You had better believe it.

For one thing, as we've learned over the last few weeks, Obama is no King Abdullah II.

During the Iraq War, many Americans lacked confidence in George W. Bush to prosecute the military campaign effectively, but they seemed to have more respect for our coalition partner, British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Now, in the war against the Islamic State, some Americans fear that Obama is insufficiently committed to the cause, and -- on social media, talk radio and letters to newspapers -- they're cheering on Abdullah for acting swiftly and boldly when confronted with evil.

Some U.S. media outlets quickly picked up on the theme, with stories declaring that the Islamic State had -- in a strategic blunder -- "[expletive] with the wrong king."

When Islamic State militants released a video showing the immolation of Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, a 26-year-old Jordanian pilot who was captured while participating in airstrikes by a U.S.-led coalition, the Jordanian ruler did not waste time making speeches.

The people of Jordan marched in the streets and demanded revenge. Abdullah gave it to them. Jordan immediately executed two al-Qaeda prisoners, including Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi failed suicide bomber whose release the militants had tried to secure.

According to CNN's Jake Tapper, U.S. officials tried in vain to convince Abdullah not to kill the prisoners. That sort of meddling is consistent with the recent criticism by Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. On Twitter, the possible 2016 GOP candidate derisively referred to Obama's stated goal of "strategic patience" in matters of foreign policy.

Meanwhile, the Jordanian air force pounded the Islamic State, destroying 56 Islamic State targets in three days. Jordan has vowed to keep up the bombing campaign until the group is destroyed.

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