Think of Barack Obama as a one-size-fits-all sort of guy.
There’s an impasse in the Middle East? Let’s everybody kick back, put on a pot of coffee and talk things out.
The NFL season may be about to go down the tubes because of a labor spat?
Ditto.
It’s a vision thing, and the president appears to have only one: Don’t get involved, and maybe nobody will notice.
Now, in no way did the NFL referee lockout — which was resolved late last night — warrant a presidential intervention. Far from it.
But the administration’s comments on the matter were instructive:
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney offered up the president’s view Tuesday: “He said . . . both sides need to come together [and] resolve their differences so that the regular refs can get back on the field so we can start focusing on a game that so many of us love.”
Ah, yes, love and peace. That’s the way.
Speaking of peace, what’s the president’s take on the Middle East these days?
Check out Tuesday’s UN speech:
“Together, we must work towards a world where we are strengthened by our differences, and not defined by them,” said Obama.
“Among Israelis and Palestinians, the future must not belong to those who turn their backs on the prospect of peace. . . The road is hard, but the destination is clear: a secure Jewish state of Israel and an independent, prosperous Palestine.
“Understanding that such a peace must come through a just agreement between the parties, America will walk alongside all who are prepared to make that journey.”
Blah. Blah. And more blah.
As with the NFL observation, the president delivered anodyne rhetoric tailored to fit the (see above) one-size-fits-all strategy that animates his administration.
But unlike mere football, the turmoil now racking the Mideast is of near-transcendent global significance.
The world looks to the United States — to Obama — for the leadership that a succession of presidents has delivered since Great Britain withdrew from the region after World War II.
And the world, frankly, worries that this president intends to follow suit.
Small wonder. Preposterously placing the two front-line protagonists — the Palestinians and Israel — on the same moral plane is a recipe for chaos.
Nothing less.
Clever word games rarely work.
The president needs to cut it out.