Obama as the Philosopher King without philosophy

I agree withl the following assessment of Obama by Peter Wehner but disagree about the effect of this assessment on the US-Israel relationship:

Obama regards himself much like a teacher who oversees a classroom of sometimes unruly, sometimes dim-witted children. His magnificence is sometimes hidden from them. And so it is left for America’s philosopher-king to explain — in simply, easy-to-understand words — why things are the way they are.

I'm still waiting for Obama to show that he is what he believes that he is that is better than the ones that came before him not just as a politician. but as a leader. I'm realizing that hope is his chosen word for the simple fact that he is convinced that what matters is identity and not much else and that therefore since he is an American with a rich history and diversified experience, having a political philosophy and an unshakable belief system, which remains steady in trouble waters does not matter.