The Obama Administration wants to assure the world that President Obama didn’t intentionally snub our British allies. No, he’s just in over his head in the financial crisis and is unprepared to deal with the workload of the presidency.

Yeah, see, excuses are supposed to make you look better in the eyes of the world. Not worse.

Sources close to the White House say Mr Obama and his staff have been “overwhelmed” by the economic meltdown and have voiced concerns that the new president is not getting enough rest.

British officials, meanwhile, admit that the White House and US State Department staff were utterly bemused by complaints that the Prime Minister should have been granted full-blown press conference and a formal dinner, as has been customary. They concede that Obama aides seemed unfamiliar with the expectations that surround a major visit by a British prime minister. …

Allies of Mr Obama say his weary appearance in the Oval Office with Mr Brown illustrates the strain he is now under, and the president’s surprise at the sheer volume of business that crosses his desk.

A well-connected Washington figure, who is close to members of Mr Obama’s inner circle, expressed concern that Mr Obama had failed so far to “even fake an interest in foreign policy”. …

The American source said: “Obama is overwhelmed. There is a zero sum tension between his ability to attend to the economic issues and his ability to be a proactive sculptor of the national security agenda.

“That was the gamble these guys made at the front end of this presidency and I think they’re finding it a hard thing to do everything.”

So the same guy that spent years attacking the Bush Administration’s policies can’t even fake an interest in foreign policy, was entirely unprepared for the presidency, and can’t even hire aides who know how to receive the British Prime Minister. How comforting, considering it’s up to the same boob to fix the economy and protect America for the next four years.

Obama would’ve probably been better off letting people assume there was a certain tension between himself and Great Britain that would wear-off over time. At least he looked like he had a clue as to what he was doing in that scenario. Instead we’re telling the world that our nation’s leader is unprepared for the burdens placed on him. Craptastic.