U.S. WARNED 3 DAYS BEFORE LIBYA ATTACK
Ryan Criticizes Obama on Foreign Policy
- Associated Press
- Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan waves after speaking at the Values Voters Summit in Washington, Friday, Sept. 14, 2012.
WASHINGTON — Rep. Paul Ryan accused President Barack Obama of emboldening Iran and those storming U.S. embassies abroad while curtailing individual freedoms at home, during a speech here to a gathering of religious conservatives.
With tensions rising abroad, President Obama has argued that Mr. Romney and his younger running mate lack the chops to deal with the subtleties of foreign affairs. Democrats and some Republicans have said Mr. Romney of spoke out of turn when he accused the Obama administration late Tuesday of sympathizing with foreign protesters.
But Mr. Romney’s blunt criticisms of the current administration went over well with this crowd. As Mr. Ryan was introduced, Bill Bennett, the conservative commentator and radio host, read Mr. Romney’s much discussed statement in full, earning a standing ovation. “The press jumped on to kill this truth in the womb, something it is well-practiced at,” Mr. Bennett said of Mr. Romney’s words.
“President Obama likes to say, ‘We’re all in this together,’ Mr. Ryan said. “Yet how hollow it sounds coming from a politician who has never once lifted a hand to defend the most helpless and innocent of all human beings, the child waiting to be born.”
Polls show that Mr. Obama maintains consistent, if small, lead nationally and in key battleground states. But Mr. Ryan accused the president of “striking heroic poses against imaginary adversaries.”
“If anyone dares to point out the facts of his record, why then, they’re just being negative and pessimistic about the country,” Mr. Ryan said. ”The new straw man is people hoping for the decline of America.”
Mr. Ryan also appeared to energize the opposition. Protesters calling for less money in politics interrupted him three times before being escorted out of the banquet hall.
