Obama pays tribute to Stevens in UN address

11:03 AM, Sep 25, 2012   |    comments
President Barack Obama speaks during the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations in New York on September 25, 2012. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/GettyImages)
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In the aftermath of a terrorist attack at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans and sparked anti-U.S. protests that have gripped the Muslim world, Obama told world leaders that the recent violence is "an assault on the very ideals upon which the United Nations was founded."




In recent days, White House aides have said that Obama would use the speech to condemn the incendiary video that portrays the prophet Mohammed as a child molester and his followers as goons. But Obama also used the address to make the point that "no slander ... provides an excuse for people" to kill innocent people.

The president also directly addressed critics in the Muslim world who questioned the Obama administration for not forcing YouTube to take down the video or taking action against the filmmakers. He also argued that "the strongest weapon against hateful speech is not repression, it is more speech."


In his speech, the president also renewed his call for Iran to abandon its suspected nuclear program. Obama is facing growing pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to articulate a red line with its nuclear program that Tehran must not cross or risk facing a military strike.

GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney has hammered Obama by saying he is not taking the threats in the Middle East seriously. The president appears intent on using his address to push back against such criticism.


(USA Today)

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