Friends and opponents of President Barack Obama agree that 2013 has been his worst year since he took office. Many fear the next three years will be just as disappointing. The glow of Mr Obama’s re-election quickly faded in January and was replaced by the grim cycle of one emergency after another, from the fiscal showdowns with Republicans to the rolling crisis over Edward Snowden’s spying revelations. The president’s second term is listing. Much of the damage has been self-

inflicted. The coming year will be his best chance to set things right. 

Firing underperformers should be part of any overhaul. More important still, Mr Obama needs to get a tight grip on his administration – in a way that leaves no one in any doubt. In the absence of that, he faces the spectre of becoming the longest-running lame duck president in modern US history.