[Exile on Spencer St]

The US national political system is almost designed to be gridlocked into inactivity. As a result many recent US Presidents seem to have had little ability to change things at home so they travel the world telling others how to behave and/or drop bombs on some of them when they don't.
Of course the founding fathers of the US of E got round that problem by making the European Parliament powerless, but well remunerated, so that it can't frustrate the unelected executive.