U.S. Secretary of State’s John Kerry’s closing memo to President Barack Obama painted a rosy picture of the U.S. role in the world since Obama took office in 2008. Kerry claimed Obama made the best of a bad situation, citing Obama’s inheritance of wars not his own in Iraq and Afghanistan, in addition to a grave economic crisis. Talking points seeking to validate Obama’s supposed success by blaming the past are a frequent and familiar direction for the Obama administration. “The United States is more secure, more respected, and more engaged in the world,” the glowing memo states, adding that,...