http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2641713/Im-NOT-WEAK-Obama-hits-foreign-policy-critics-vows-ramp-support-Syrian-rebels.htmlI'm NOT WEAK: Obama hits back at foreign policy critics as he vows to ramp up support for Syrian rebels
'I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being,' the president insisted
Yet he used the words 'partner' and 'partnership' 16 times in his speech at West Point, outlining a contradictory foreign policy
Obama replaced the phrase 'collective action' with the words 'multilateral action' several times
Working through NATO and the UN will dominate American foreign policy, Obama said: 'This is American leadership, American strength'
By David Martosko, U.s. Political Editor
Published: 09:33 EST, 28 May 2014 | Updated: 10:10 EST, 28 May 2014
President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he would 'work with Congress to ramp up support for those in the Syrian opposition who offer the best alternative to terrorists and a brutal dictator.'
But the central theme of his foreign policy-heavy address was that American strength would continue to come by working through international coalitions.
Obama called for diplomacy and 'multilateral action' in the face of global threats. His prepared remarks, distributed by the White House, replaced that phrase with the words 'collective action.'
Receiving tepid applause and a short standing ovation from less than one-quarter of the audience upon his introduction, Obama argued for a contradictory foreign policy that relies on NATO and the United Nations while insisting that 'America must always lead on the world stage.'
'If we don’t, no one else will,' he insisted.
But 'we require partners,' he said, using the words 'partner' or 'partnership' 16 times in his speech.
continued....