AP Photo

World leaders in town this week for the annual United Nations gabfest are going to feel a lot like Clint Eastwood: When they look to talk to President Obama, they’re going to face an empty chair.

Oh, sure, Obama will attend today’s opening session of the General Assembly’s annual debate, launching the festivities with the traditional “host nation” second speech. And last night he hosted heads of state at his Waldorf Astoria suite for a meet-and-greet.

But by tomorrow Obama will move on — the first US president in memory to skip the other ritual of the week: the one-on-one meetings with fellow heads of state.