"In order to understand the shattering surprise that gripped team Obama, it is necessary to appreciate the sensation of absolute moral superiority that wafted them along."

"This was no mere election. It was a fight between good and evil. And they were in no doubt that they were the good guys. 'Cuba, climate, Iran,' Rhodes says, what will happen to those things now that Donald Trump is in charge? Note that he puts forward those items as if they were triumphs for the Obama administration and not disastrous missteps. 'The irony of the Obama years,' Rhodes mused, 'is going to be that he was advocating an inclusive global view rooted in common humanity and international order amidst this roiling ocean of growing nationalism and authoritarianism.' Got that? 'Inclusive' and 'common humanity' on one side versus 'nationalism' and 'authoritarianism' on the other.... The fascinating thing of 'The Final Year' is the glimpse it affords into the engine room of a certain species of elite bureaucratic presumption. It is earnest, articulate, educated, well-meaning, and utterly, dangerously naïve. When you review the series of foreign policy disasters over which Obama presided—the names Libya, Syria, and Iran offer a good start—and then contrast it with his warmhearted rhetoric, you begin to understand why Graham Greene could warn that 'innocence is like a dumb leper who has lost his bell, wandering the world, meaning no harm.'"

From "A Clueless 'Final Year'" by Roger Kimball.