http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32979199/ns/world_news-united_nations/

Quote :

"Obama said he will never apologize for defending U.S. interests."

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/23/obama.un/index.html

Quote :

"In his first speech as president to the U.N. General Assembly, Obama sought to distance his young administration from unilateral policies of his predecessor, while pledging a U.S. commitment to work with the United Nations in forging a better common future for all."

Quote :

" Obama cited issues such as terrorism, long-running conflicts, nuclear proliferation, climate change, poverty and pandemic disease, then added: "The magnitude of our challenges has yet to be met by the measure of our action." The speech outlined four pillars of U.S. international policy -- nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, the pursuit of peace, combating climate change, and increasing economic development and opportunity -- and directly addressed long-standing issues such as the Middle East conflict, as well as more recent challenges including the global economic recession."

I think the support for combating climate change is one of the easily noticeable changes from the stances of former President Bush.

Quote :

" "If the governments of Iran and North Korea choose to ignore international standards; if they put the pursuit of nuclear weapons ahead of regional stability and the security and opportunity of their own people; if they are oblivious to the dangers of escalating nuclear arms races in both East Asia and the Middle East -- then they must be held accountable," Obama said. "The world must stand together to demonstrate that international law is not an empty promise, and that treaties will be enforced," he continued. "We must insist that the future not belong to fear." Earlier, Obama cited differences between his policies and those of the previous U.S. administration under President George W. Bush, who was considered by many as unilateralist with little respect for the United Nations. "I took office at a time when many around the world had come to view America with skepticism and distrust," Obama said. "Part of this was due to misperceptions and misinformation about my country. Part of this was due to opposition to specific policies, and a belief that on certain critical issues, America has acted unilaterally, without regard for the interests of others. This has fed an almost reflexive anti-Americanism, which too often has served as an excuse for our collective inaction." He received applause when he told the assembly that one of his first acts as president was to prohibit "without exception or equivocation, the use of torture by the United States of America," in reference to enhanced interrogation techniques of terrorism suspects. Obama cited other U.S. steps under his administration to confront global issues -- appointing a special Middle East envoy, investing $80 billion in clean energy technology, efforts to ease the global recession and halt the spread of nuclear weapons -- and also noted, again to applause, how the United States has paid its U.N. bills and joined the Human Rights Council. At the same time, Obama made clear the United States would continue its fight to destroy the al Qaeda network responsible for the September 11, 2001, attacks and other terrorism, but he also called for a more collective approach to such global threats. "Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world's problems alone," he said. "We have sought -- in word and deed -- a new era of engagement with the world. Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.""

I didn't want to re-post a long article in its entirety, so tried to focus in on some of the specifics, and I also cut out the Israel/Palestine parts since we have another thread running about that right now, but I thought it was interesting that his first address to the United Nations wasn't more generic, & that he called them out on anti-American attitudes by saying "those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world's problems alone"

9/23/2009 1:44:56 PM

Mine is bigger.

9/23/2009 2:00:04 PM

i saw the drudge headline... a picture of obama sitting in a chair: WORLD ORDER

i got all excited... then i clicked on the story and he says: "No world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will succeed."

and then i was disappointed

9/23/2009 2:03:32 PM

9/23/2009 2:08:33 PM

^^Drudge is the worst distorter or headlines

9/23/2009 2:48:56 PM

Quote :

"Obama said he will never apologize for defending U.S. interests."

That's good. I mean, defending U.S. interests is his fucking job.

9/23/2009 5:20:07 PM

well he never said he wasnt going to defend our interests.

he said he wasnt going to apologize for it.

[Edited on September 23, 2009 at 5:24 PM. Reason : !]

9/23/2009 5:24:01 PM

^ I was just thinking it would be silly to campaign for years to get a job that you'll then apologize for doing.

9/23/2009 5:50:20 PM

a sizable percentage of republicans slam him routinely for "apologizing" for america

9/23/2009 10:30:44 PM

^^It may also be an important distinction to make in terms of, saying "I think the Bush admin's approach to the UN was flawed, but I want to get on with the work, so don't waste time trying to rehash American foreign policy mistakes under Bush expecting me to apologize on America's behalf, b/c it's not going to happen."

On a related note to this topic & foreign leaders gathering, here are some pics (from CNN's website) relating to the G-20 Summit:


Officials greet Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal, left, on Wednesday at Pittsburgh International Airport.


Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, left, also arrives Wednesday at the Pittsburgh airport.


Four people attached to a massive banner dangle from a Pittsburgh bridge Wednesday to protest the G-20 summit.

And of course I have to share this story title for obvious reasons:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/09/24/us.g.twenty.summit/index.html

Quote :

"Officials: G-20 to supplant G-8 as international economic council PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Leaders of the G-20 economic summit will announce Friday that the group will become the new permanent council for international economic cooperation, senior U.S. officials told CNN Thursday. The move comes in the wake of a major push by President Obama, the officials said. The G-20 will now essentially eclipse the G-8, which will continue to meet on major security issues but carry much less influence."

On its surface that seems like a reasonable move, if you want to positively affect a world wide economy that is very intertwined, get more of the players involved.

9/25/2009 12:18:24 AM

Here is a better pic of the protest sign, where you can actually read it, I'm not sure why CNN's first pic didn't bother to display what it said.

9/26/2009 8:42:23 PM

Good news during the speech. EPA rule for reporting GHG emissions was finalized.
We're one step closer to addressing climate change.

Hooray!

9/26/2009 9:20:12 PM

hot damn. now we just need for climate change to actually be happening, and then we can start addressing it!

9/26/2009 9:46:21 PM

Quote :

"hot damn. now we just need for climate change to actually be happening, and then we can start addressing it!"

lmao you're extremely dedicated to being the forum idiot aren't you?

9/26/2009 9:56:56 PM

Quote :

"That's good. I mean, defending U.S. interests is his fucking job."

Well, if it's his job....where is it in his job description? His oath? The Constitution? I'd really like to know.

9/26/2009 10:11:37 PM

^^ Nah. I could never usurp your position. Read a newspaper. Look at some evidence. See that it isn't happening. You'll thank me for it later

9/27/2009 2:37:06 PM

I wonder if I can petition the EPA to prevent it from raining during all of NCSU's football games? Since they think they have the power to change the climate I don't think it's an unreasonable request.

9/28/2009 10:33:58 AM

I thought this might be worth refreshing in light of discussions of speeches/diplomacy vs action on whether or not the President deserved the Noble Prize. Was there a thread on the Cairo speech?

10/9/2009 10:39:32 PM

I LIKED THIS SPEECH!

10/10/2009 12:32:25 AM