President Obama, Vice President Biden and most lawmakers are elsewhere at an inopportune time, punctuated by the sound of missiles over Libya and Geiger counters in Japan. There’s also some disquieting murmurs that the role of America on the global stage is up for grabs. Enough already, says a former politician, who has seen much. “Far be it for me to give President Obama advice. But — and there’s always that ‘but’ — the ‘optics’ aren’t good on this administration,” says Vincent “Buddy” Cianci