Being Canadian, allow me a hockey metaphor.
I have seen this many times, while playing, officiating and just watching. A new 'star" comes along and as is usual shows talent early and is advanced up the spectrum. He will soon find himself at 13, playing against 18 year olds.
Because he has heard for years he has such great gifts, be it stick handling, speed, a cannon of a slap shot or just a combination of all of it as well as size.
In the junior leagues he is now not so much the star, the game has changed, his moves no longer work, his opponents have experience, cunning and learned strategy; he finds himself stapled to the ice or boards a lot, his shots easily turned away by experienced goal tenders.
He does not realize he is, frankly, out of his league. He presses harder, faster, taking more risks, believing his own myth in the wake of mounting evidence he is, at this level a very average player, convinced he is the next Gretzski.
As all metaphors do, it breaks down there as the hockey player merely gets benched. But as Obama presses harder and takes more risk against a far more experienced and cunning opponent, Americans and the world must realize that the rookie star's failure could be WWIII