There is no international bully before which the Obama “smart power” machine will not lay prostrate, no crisis that offers anything other than a reason to “hope,” no stakes too high to permit senseless babble.

Last month, North Korea announced its unilateral withdrawal from the 1991 peace accords with South Korea. This, among other things, ends North Korea’s recognition of its southern neighbor’s ocean border – an alarming fact considering the two countries have fought naval battles over this border as recently as seven years ago. Moreover, satellite images reveal that North Korea began transporting a Taepodong 2 missile, capable of reaching our West Coast, to a launch pad.

We can all agree that “bring ‘em on” wouldn’t do much good, but does this?

The United States is “hopeful” that the move “is not a precursor of any actions that would up the ante, or threaten the stability and peace and security of the neighbors in the region,” Clinton told reporters.

But she added that “North Korea has to understand that all of the countries in east Asia have made it clear that its behavior is viewed as unacceptable” and that it can benefit from another path.

“There are opportunities” for North Korea and its people if they engage with the international community, the chief US diplomat said.

“We’re hopeful that we’ll see that in the weeks and months ahead.”

There is something so calculated — so patronizingly studied — about the “adults are now in charge” tone of the Obama administration’s foreign policy rhetoric that you have to wonder about the intended audience. Hillary Clinton knows that this is white noise to the Kim regime. The same way she knows that Tehran doesn’t care about President Obama’s outstretched hand.

If the Obama administration is using sound bites about crises to set a pervasive tone of humility, we should be deeply concerned. Reading Bret Stephens’s Wall Street Journal piece today, you get the sense that Obama is not so much due to be tested by this or that bad actor, but on the verge of getting ambushed by the lot of them. Faced with ever more brazen antagonists, our White House and State Department dig deeper for apologies, compliments, and affirmations. President Obama can either get serious about these challenges or have seriousness forced upon him.