I know Fox News is attempting to make a lot out of this .  However, despite the obvious partisan overtones, there is something here that speaks to my long time point that President Obama does want to abdicate some of America's power in order to transform its society and force other nations to pick up the slack so he can do this.  How else can one reasonable interpret his recent remarks at the end of his Nuclear Security Summit:

"It is a vital national security interest of the United States to reduce these conflicts because whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant military superpower, and when conflicts break out, one way or another we get pulled into them," Obama said. "And that ends up costing us significantly in terms of both blood and treasure." 

Clearly, this implies a reticence to embrace the position the U.S. currently has.  It implies a desire to stop being "Atlas" and to offload our responsibilities.  Some will say this is necessary and inevitable during an era where economic power seems inexorably shifting towards Asia and the rise of China, etc. 

However, I cannot disagree more vehemently.  China will not be benevolent if it ever even attains all its is expected to attain.  Additionally, this is not even the most likely scenario.  More likely is that we will enter a "neo-Middle Ages."  Perhaps, not all chaos and disorder, but far more disruptive than anything we have seen since the conclusion of that global conflagration known as World War II.

The U.S. is Atlas, whether we want it or not.  However, we should be willing to take this "burden" up with pride and not resignation.  That is the fundamental problem with this President's philosophical perspective.  It is a perspective steeped in declinism shrouded in intellectualism that makes it seem to be the epitome of enlightened thinking even as it ushers in what will be truly unenlightened times.

We should hope "Atlas does not Shrug", not today.