NEW YORK: The US presidential candidates laid out their visions of America's role in the world on Tuesday with dueling foreign policy speeches shaped by violent protests in the Middle East and their closely fought campaign at home.
President Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney gave nearly back-to-back addresses at the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, founded by former President Bill Clinton, on a day when foreign policy issues again pushed the country's economic concerns out of the spotlight.
Romney subtly criticized Obama, without mentioning his name, in a speech that promised to tie overseas aid to work and free enterprise.
Obama focused on speaking out against human trafficking, ``which must be called by its true name, modern slavery.''
Obama also addressed world leaders at the UN General Assembly in a visit that was to include none of the usual private meetings with key US allies.
The president was expected to hurry back to campaigning for the less than 10 per cent of voters who say they have yet to make up their minds for the November election.
In his speech, Romney again pushed for a stronger US stance on recent anti-American protests in Muslim countries over an amateur anti-Islam film made in the US Among those killed was the US ambassador to Libya.
He also spoke out for a stronger stance on the civil war in Syria and on Iran's suspected nuclear program.
``We feel that we are at the mercy of events, rather than shaping events,'' he said. He added, in a dig at Obama, ``I will never apologize for America.''
Romney also said the United States must use foreign aid to bring about lasting change in Libya and elsewhere, but he added that foreign aid cannot sustain a developing country on a permanent basis and US policies should promote work, not reliance.
``Work builds self-esteem. It transforms minds from fantasy and fanaticism to reality and grounding,'' Romney said.
``Work will not long tolerate corruption nor quietly endure the brazen theft by government of the product of hard-working men and women.''
Obama addressed the Clinton forum at midday after his speech at the U.N., where he called on world leaders to join in confronting the root causes of the rage across the Muslim world.
indiatimes.com
President Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney gave nearly back-to-back addresses at the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, founded by former President Bill Clinton, on a day when foreign policy issues again pushed the country's economic concerns out of the spotlight.
Romney subtly criticized Obama, without mentioning his name, in a speech that promised to tie overseas aid to work and free enterprise.
Obama focused on speaking out against human trafficking, ``which must be called by its true name, modern slavery.''
Obama also addressed world leaders at the UN General Assembly in a visit that was to include none of the usual private meetings with key US allies.
The president was expected to hurry back to campaigning for the less than 10 per cent of voters who say they have yet to make up their minds for the November election.
In his speech, Romney again pushed for a stronger US stance on recent anti-American protests in Muslim countries over an amateur anti-Islam film made in the US Among those killed was the US ambassador to Libya.
He also spoke out for a stronger stance on the civil war in Syria and on Iran's suspected nuclear program.
``We feel that we are at the mercy of events, rather than shaping events,'' he said. He added, in a dig at Obama, ``I will never apologize for America.''
Romney also said the United States must use foreign aid to bring about lasting change in Libya and elsewhere, but he added that foreign aid cannot sustain a developing country on a permanent basis and US policies should promote work, not reliance.
``Work builds self-esteem. It transforms minds from fantasy and fanaticism to reality and grounding,'' Romney said.
``Work will not long tolerate corruption nor quietly endure the brazen theft by government of the product of hard-working men and women.''
Obama addressed the Clinton forum at midday after his speech at the U.N., where he called on world leaders to join in confronting the root causes of the rage across the Muslim world.
indiatimes.com
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