There is a growing din on the far Right. Wafting along on talk radio and Fox News airwaves is the sound of desperation. Unable to convince the bulk of Americans that the President’s efforts to “fix” the economy are either wrongheaded, Socialist or economic Fascism the drumbeat now concerns what the Right  perceive as his weakness in foreign policy.

An accidental, un-intentioned photo op with Venezuela’s Chavez is the current cause for consternation among neo-cons  and their invective happy talking heads.  Former Vice President Cheney, who seems to be angling for a gig as Hannity’s new cable TV partner, appears with eerie regularity defending the indefensible, snipping at the current administration’s policies and in general mounting a revisionist spin campaign on recent history. In his mind this non-incident when taken along with President Obama’s efforts to re-engage with Cuba, Iran and Russia (not to mention the EU and the Palestinians), outlaw torture and admit past foreign policy mistakes is proof positive of a dangerous naiveté or worse.

The Right’s Machiavellian justification for this stance is that it is better to be feared than loved, that world leadership is best served not by consensus and honesty but by single-minded Americanism combined with a dismissive attitude only possible when you control the most powerful military machine in human history. While this position may appeal to pseudo-cowboys, Teddy Roosevelt wannabes, and the Cato Institute crowd who wax nostalgic for the glory that was Rome, in the real world it’s called hubris; and hubris, as the inventors of democracy, the ancient Greeks who coined the word knew, is the grease that lines the slippery slope to historical oblivion.

Before I became a chef I spent 25 years in international trade. I’ve been lucky enough to travel in Latin America, East and West Europe, the Middle East and Africa. I still have friends and acquaintances with whom I communicate regularly on 5 continents. Left or Right, Monarchist, Capitalist, Neo-Fascist or Socialist every one of them welcomes this administration’s approach to world leadership.

Make no mistake. The world yearns for our leadership. I remember in the 80’s being caught between a Chilean exile Allende supporter and a pro Galtieri Argentine national who from opposite ends of the political spectrum bewailed our lack of understanding of their continent’s problems.

Leadership, as I found in my years as political activist, as corporate executive and head of a kitchen brigade requires one to listen, admit mistakes and clearly and consistently communicate goals and methods. Mr. Obama appears well qualified to lead America and the world to a new era of, if not peace and understanding, at least a minimum of conflict and human misery.