The longer the Obama presidency continues, the more America's status as a superpower ebbs away.

Those are not my words, but words of Con Coughlin.

Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence Editor and a world-renowned expert on global security and terrorism issues. He is the author of several critically acclaimed books.

Here is what he wrote in The Telegraph...



Thanks to President Barack Obama obduracy over his flagship healthcare policy, Democrats and Republicans have failed to reach agreement in Congress on the federal budget, forcing the US Government to close down for the first time in 17 years, with around 700,000 federal workers being placed on indefinite leave.

[link to blogs.telegraph.co.uk]