What Matters for Americans?

-Helen-Margaret Nasser

The meetings of the United Nations General Assembly came and went. As per usual, they were nothing more than the expected long speeches made by leaders who wanted to demonstrate their relevance on the world scene. For the most part, everyone played their part well - with one glaring exception. President Obama avoided meeting with world leaders and instead relied on Secretary of State Clinton to do the schmoozing- freeing up his schedule to head back to the campaign.

At a time when Romney has been attacking Obama's foreign policy credentials calling him soft and too apologetic, and at a time when anti-U.S. sentiments are raging across the Middle East, Obama should have seized the opportunity to address these two pressing points and many others. Now, more than ever, Obama must prove his foreign policy prowess by doing exactly what the president does and by handling these "bumps in the road." This is what would benefit both the country and his campaign. What better way to show that he is fit for the job he is seeking for a second term? Instead, he chose to campaign and convince voters in Virginia that he is the better candidate.

I know, I know, this isn't a surprising choice. Most Americans hardly put foreign affairs on their list of priorities when considering a President and this race is certainly not going to be decided by the proverbial 3 AM phone call. At a time when the economy is low, unemployment is growing, and there is a general malaise among the American people, voters are looking for a candidate dedicated to jump starting the economy and giving their morale a much-needed boost. Talking about foreign wars or solving foreign woes is not at all germane to the conversation most Americans are having. It just doesn't serve as poignant a rallying cry as it did back in 2004.

In 2004, the country was entangled in two foreign wars - embarked upon as a result of attacks on American soil. In this way, foreign affairs had to matter to Americans - it was consuming their economy, their military strength, and certainly affecting their budget deficit. These foreign wars were tangible for most Americans and therefore, they mattered in the presidential campaign. Fast-forward to 2012 - Americans are tired. They are aching to have an inward looking President that will address their ills. That's what matters in this election.

At the end of the day, the game of politics is a delicate one. Every decision is carefully made, calculating the pros and cons of any approach and anticipating the counterattack from the opposing camp. Ultimately, Obama chose to address the American people who more directly determine his fate for the next four years. Once reelected, maybe then Obama will pay the traditional second-term lip service to global issues.