I tried learning Indonesian once, and I failed miserably at it.
Barack Obama used to be able to speak Indonesian, however whenever I see videos of him speaking it, it appears to be virtually non existent. He can manage to say a few words and phrases, but unable to actually sustain a conversation. And this isn't unusual -- languages are not like a riding a bicycle, it can and will be forgotten if it's not practised/maintained. Obama probably hasn't used it in his adult life. This is quite different from say Kevin Rudd's Chinese which is highly fluent since he's continued to maintain it.
Obama speaking limited Indonesian
Rudd speaking fluent Mandarin Chinese
