Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is touring the Middle East-one of a long line of Washingtonians now on pilgrimage tours this month of the region.

Her gambit: try to reassure our allies and pseudo-allies that we have their back. How do we reveal this muscular approach? By ignoring deadlines, weakening sanctions, and instead, trumpeting a "security umbrella" for the region.

The candidate who proclaimed America would obliterate Iran should that nation launch a nuclear attack has become the Secretary of State who crumbles in the face of our adversaries.

I have a different image of an umbrella when I think of Hillary Clinton and the Obama team - this one: