Loud talk, no stick

Not on their best day in their wildest dreams:

President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron kick off two days of diplomacy this morning by pledging to work against repressive regimes in the Middle East -- by force if necessary.

In a sternly worded column in The Times of London, the two leaders liken the effort to free Arab peoples from authoritarianism to the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall in the 1980s.

They also liken their personal efforts to two leaders who came before them: Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

It's not clear what the "Arab spring" will bring -- I've read as much commentary from people who are fearful of the potential as from those who are optimistic. But if something good does come from it, it won't be because of juvenile braggadocio like "We will stand with those who want to bring light into dark."