WALTER RUSSELL MEAD: The Constitution, the Sour Spot, and the Great Syria Train Wreck. “During his time in the White House, President Obama has repeatedly demonstrated a style of decision making that gets him in trouble. Especially when the stakes are high and the issue is complex, the President overthinks himself and tries to split the difference between tough policy choices. He comes up with stratagems that work beautifully on paper and offer well reasoned, moderate alternatives to stark choices. Unfortunately, they usually don’t work all that well in the real world, with the President repeatedly ending up in the ‘sour spot’ where his careful approaches don’t get him where he needs to go. This style of strategy is what’s boxed him in and tied him in knots over Syria.”