When US President Barack Obama emerged to face reporters after the worst Democrat mid-term result in almost a century, his lined face and furrowed brows said much about the party's historic election loss. Gone was the euphoric figure who two years ago swept to the porticos of the White House on a tide of "change," and whose smiling image has since stamped everything from T-shirts to tea towels.

If politics is all about image, then the only person to escape the bad press was Hillary Clinton. As one seat fell after the other, the US Secretary of State was safely tucked away on an official trip on the other side of the world. That was smart. And whether it was a coincidence of timing, or a perfectly designed strategy, Team Obama should have learnt fast and taken that cue.

Instead, what was supposed to be the homecomings to end all homecomings, was a largely flat affair.

Last week, Obama went back to Indonesia for the first time as American leader since living there for four years as a boy. It was always going to be a huge story and, let's not forget, the Indonesians are a wonderfully sentimental and nostalgic people.

The Indonesians came out in droves when he landed in Jakarta even though the erupting Mount Merapi threatened to douse Air Force One in ash clouds. Meanwhile, the rain posed a dampener on a trip that the White House has postponed not once, but twice. Not a good start.