From this side of the Atlantic it is abundantly clear. Six years into the most disastrous presidency in modern American history, the political class in Washington - first through fourth estates - still don't get it. They can no longer operate imperiously in a vacuum sealed tight by America's unrivaled power. Their wish is no longer the world's command.

The Wolfowitz saga proves as much. Don't be fooled by the well-orchestrated fight-back that has...