Elsewhere, he tries on attitudes for size: a critique of romantic bourgeois intellectuals here, a slap at U.S. media hustlers there.

NEWYORKER: Year of the Gun

If I were the Icelandic PM I would slap the U.K. with a three billion pound invoice for global cooling and call their account settled.

FORBES: When Opportunities Erupt

Japan received a slap on the wrist from Europe and the U.S. the last time it did so directly and without warning.

FORBES: With The G7's Blessings, Japan Can Do What It Wants

Some analysts have suggested that the Obama administration, which is widely viewed as being anti-oil, could move so far as to require BP to jettison its U.S. assets or to slap the oil giant with a crippling fine.

FORBES: BP: A Stock Even Value Investors Shun

It accused the U.S. of leading efforts to slap sanctions on North Korea.

NPR: Furious Over Sanctions, NKorea Vows To Nuke US

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Reserve and the Office of Thrift Supervision announced a separate settlement with 14 mortgage servicers including Bank of America, Citigoup, HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, MetLife Bank, PNC, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo that was little more than a slap on the wrist.

FORBES: Bank Of America Expands Mortgage Help Centers Across U.S.

He has added new tangles to the relatively minor problem of trucking across the international border which has led Mexico to slap on countervailing duties in defiance of the North American Free Trade Agreement in what they insist are U.S. violations.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Obama goes south: An analysis of the Summit of the Americas

The U.S. Department of Transportation regulation, set to go into effect April 29, would slap hefty fines on airlines with domestic flights that sit on the tarmac for more than three hours with passengers on board.

CNN: Air traffic jams in New York likely to jump

If relations between the U.S. and Venezuela ever came to a head, it would be easy for Washington to slap sanctions on them.

FORBES: Deadly Venezuela Refinery Blast Likely To Increase Demand For U.S. Gasoline