Barack Obama talks a fine-sounding game about renewing our diplomacy and earning international respect. But when push comes to shove and key domestic political support is at stake, he is behaving like a craven pol, toadying to special interests and sacrificing a key ally that has made positive steps toward deeper relations.Case in point: the pending free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea. The Asian Wall Street Journal captures  the hypocrisy:In a statement inserted in the Congressional Record last week, Mr. Obama said he believes the [FTA] pact doesn't pay "proper attention" to America's "key industries and agricultural sectors" like cars, rice and beef. These also happen to be key special interests for the Democrats in terms of fund raising and are dominant industries in electoral swing states.Try squaring Mr. Obama's views on the FTA with his criticism of the Bush Administration's policy of not negotiating with unfriendly regimes, taken straight from an...(Read Full Post)