Here's a suggestion out of left field from Michael Fullilove at the Financial Times. As a cricket tragic, I agree with him totally.

Fullilove argues that Obama should ditch baseball and turn to cricket, a far more complex game and one that offers him seven lessons.

Number one is that cricket is played outside the United States and it's followed by some 2 billion people. And unlike baseball's World Series, the cricket World Cup is actually an international event and to understand it, you need to follow the different approaches of the various cricketing nations. "Why does all this matter? Because the US needs to get much better at understanding other countries and cultures. With bloody conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, nuclear programmes in Iran and North Korea, a cooling economy and a warming planet, America can ill afford its usual self absorption. Mr Obama needs to be deaf to the siren songs of protectionism and isolationism and alert to the voices (both the cheers and the jeers) of the world."

Secondly, cricket is a long game. It takes five days, it can end in a draw (which is often even more exciting than a win) and it requires lots of patience. Much like fixing America.

Point number three is that the condition of the pitch is critical, and makes the game unpredictable. Unlike baseball, the ball usually bounces before it reaches the batsman which makes it harder to predict. It can bounce at your head, your chest or swing away from the bat. There are some obvious parallels with the fast and fluid global environment.

Fourthly, you don't win a match by hitting a home run. It takes a lot more than that. "The invasion of Iraq demonstrated a baseball player's mentality," Fullilove writes. "Mr Bush thought he could fix all the problems of the Middle East at once: displace Saddam Hussein and the regimes around him would tumble like dominoes, tyranny would end, the Palestinians would make a deal, the price of oil would fall and the US would acquire new bases in the region."

Number five: the captain's role is crucial in setting the strategy but he has to work through his players. America's allies are sick and tired of the unilateral approach that has been adopted by the United States. But they do want American leadership.

Point number six is that toughness has its place but it needs to take different forms. Not just pace but spin bowling, not just force but diplomacy as well.

And finally, the primacy of any cricket team is not assured forever. Australia dominated cricket for more than a decade but, sadly, it looks like those days have come to an end. Similarly, America's primacy in global markets is ending.