Obama firm on foreign policy

COLORADO SPRINGS - Reuters

U.S. President Barack Obama on May 23 staunchly defended his foreign policy record against Republican election-year criticism that he has overseen a decline in American power in the world.

Addressing graduates of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Obama touted his decisions to pull U.S. forces out of Iraq, wind down the war in Afghanistan and order the raid that killed Osama bin Laden - a record his campaign hopes will temper voter discontent about a still fragile economy. “For a decade, we have labored under the dark cloud of war. Now, we can see the light of a new day on the horizon. The end of these wars will shape your service and it will make our military stronger,” he said.

Mitt Romney, Obama’s presumptive challenger in the Nov. 6 election, has accused Obama of weakening America on the world stage, calling last year’s exit from Iraq premature and the timeline to leave Afghanistan ill-conceived. “Let’s start by putting aside the tired notion that says our influence has waned, that America is in decline. We’ve heard that talk before,” he said.