From Turkey to the Philippines to Malaysia, it has been an overseas trip for U.S. President Barack Obama that often veered off-script.
By now, Obama was supposed to have showcased the long-promised benefits of his strategic shift toward Asia as he nears his final year in office. Instead, he has spent much of his time focused on deadly Islamist attacks half a world away.
White House aides have fretted privately that the timing could not have been worse.