Media see WikiLeaks cables as security porn. They don't get it. Nor does Obama.

Overseas, this lack of command and control within the US government is an object of concern for our allies and a source of conspiracy theorizing among our enemies. Friends view the scandal as just the latest sign of American weakness, of a piece with a president whose policies appear less and less consequential in addressing the threats we face. They question the reliability and seriousness of their putative ally in Washington. Perversely, enemies like Iran are persuaded still of American might, and cannot conceive that incompetence is at the root of the largest leak in decades, if not ever.

And what of the perception at home? The State Department cables WikiLeaks published reveal an Obama administration that:

• Worries North Korea is transferring missiles to Iran, but ignores the misbehavior of the former and seeks rapprochement with the latter nonetheless.

• Bemoans the evanescence of democracy in Russia and the thuggery of its de facto leader while assuring the US Senate of Moscow’s bona fides as a trustworthy signatory to the New START treaty.

• Frets about nuclear security in Pakistan while assuring the public of the stability of the Pakistani state.

• Continues to treat China as a responsible stakeholder in the face of actions that show it to be anything but.

Incompetence and hypocrisy

The specter of hypocrisy will be hard to shake off.

Related: ‘We cannot deal with these people’: WikiLeaks shows true feelings on Guantánamo

There is an element of pornography to this entire episode, and the dirty pictures are all still on full display, distracting many from examining the implications of this case in whole. But once the titillating information is digested, and Assange is apprehended, both the world and the American people will be left with a sense that the man in the White House is serious neither about his responsibilities abroad nor competent governance at home.

Danielle Pletka is vice president for foreign and defense policy studies at American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI).

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