In today’s global economy, money speaks louder than morals. The next U.S. administration must factor that into its Asia policy.

This visit won’t make the Obama Administration’s middling legacy in Asia look any better.

It will be interesting to see how the intellectual and journalistic establishments process the gap between what Obama said he would accomplish and what actually happened on his watch.

Japanese influence may make the Filipino President (somewhat) manageable, and keep him from getting too close to Beijing.

The President fails to understand that security and values are mutually reinforcing, not an either/or proposition.

The Secretary of Defense took a strong stand against China, warning that Beijing’s territorial ambitions risk provoking a U.S.-backed coalition of regional opponents.

The US “pivot”, and Washington’s enduring commitment to stability and prosperity in Asia, is one of the most important geopolitical strategies of the Obama administration. It is a bipartisan goal, and whoever takes office after President Obama will likely support it. But in this sensitive time, as rising China tests the US and other Asian powers, Washington mustn’t give its Asian allies any reason to doubt that the US is anything short of fully committed to the region for the long term.

Washington needs to get its ducks in a row. The different branches of the US government can’t be sending out mixed messages. Our allies in Asia are watching very closely to gauge the depth of the US commitment to stability in Asia. Diplomatic missteps, confusion, mixed messages, and incompetence will only further convince our allies that the US ship has sailed.