At the United Nations, President Obama raised the recent racial riots in Ferguson, Mo., to concede that America has its “own racial and ethnic tensions.”
At the end of his speech that touched on fighting ISIS and peace negotiations with Russia and the Middle East, he noted that America’s critics are quick to note domestic problems in the United States that prove the country isn’t the world’s holy cop.
“I realize that America’s critics will be quick to point out that at times we too have failed to live up to our ideals; that America has plenty of problems within our own borders,” said Obama.
“I know the world also took notice of the small American city of Ferguson, Mo. — where a young man was killed, and a community was divided. So yes, we have our own racial and ethnic tensions. And like every country, we continually wrestle with how to reconcile the vast changes wrought by globalization and greater diversity with the traditions that we hold dear,” he told the world’s delegates in New York.
But, he added that the scrutiny is welcome. “We fight for our ideals, and are willing to criticize ourselves when we fall short. Because we hold our leaders accountable, and insist on a free press and independent judiciary. Because we address our differences in the open space of democracy — with respect for the rule of law; with a place for people of every race and religion; and with an unyielding belief in the ability of individual men and women to change their communities and countries for the better.”
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
