President Obama leads while Romney bleats

Being at the beach reminds me why most people don't spend 24/7 jacked into the matrix. There's a beautiful world out there outside of the horror show that goes on in the daily news cycle. Hard to focus on writing with the surf calling my name just outside the window.

Of course, I can't unplug entirely. I've been riveted by the news, in the same way you just have to look when you drive by a wreck on the highway. One thing that seems to have slipped under the radar is Obama's subtle confrontation with Egypt. I've seen it spun by the pundits as a misstep but Juan Cole sees it differently and he's the pundit I trust the most on the Middle East.

Mr. Cole tells us Obama's slap at Eygpt's ally status was a direct challenge to Morsi and it worked to some degree in defusing that situation. Surely, when the official Twitter account of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt issues a robust rebuke of the attack on the embassy, it shows at least respect, if perhaps some fear, of President Obama's leadership.

More worrisome, is how quickly the Muslim protests are spreading across the globe. Checking in late last night and finding Atlantic Wire's interactive map was a sobering moment.

Who knows what will happen next, but this much I know for certain. I'm grateful and relieved this is being dealt with by President Obama instead of the blustering unfit fool, Multiple Choice Mitt Romney.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]