This nugget regarding Obama explains a great deal

" Obama's passivity and dilatory approach towards decision-making gave rise to the characterization that he tended to vote "present" when he was a legislator in Illinois. When he became president, his fear of making decisions led one of his own advisers to sum up his foreign and national security policy as one of "leading from behind" -- how far we have come since John Kennedy's stirring words!

Perhaps this is a reflection of his refusal to listen to experts -- and to rely on himself and a small circle of "advisers" from Cook County who are sorely lacking in experience themselves. According to a recent Vanity Fair article, he's a "total introvert" and "he doesn't need people." For some odd reasons he seems dependent on Valerie Jarrett -- a person he admits he runs all his decisions through. He also seems to have outsourced decision-making to the likes of political strategist David Plouffe and David Axlerod (Axelrod, for example, attended meetings between Obama and Israeli leaders and attended Oval Office meetings when Obama compiled his "kill list" of drone targets). This troika has zero geopolitical experience." [American Thinker]