CHARLOTTE, NC — U.S. President Barack Obama, addressing the Democratic National Convention on Thursday night, said America’s “commitment to Israel's security must not waver, and neither must our pursuit of peace.”
Obama’s statement came after most of the Israel-related talk at the convention in Charlotte, NC, centered on the omission of an affirmation of Jerusalem as the Jewish state’s capital in the Democratic Party Platform.
The language—that Jerusalem “is and will remain the capital of Israel”—was present in all but one (1988) Democratic platform from 1972 to 2008. Initially absent from the 2012 platform, the Democrats restored the language after three voice votes on the matter Wednesday night.
On Thursday, Obama critiqued Republican challenger Mitt Romney and vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan for being “new to foreign policy.”
“You don’t call Russia our number one enemy—not al-Qaida, Russia—unless you’re still stuck in a Cold War time warp,” Obama said, referencing Romney’s comments from this March that Russia is America’s “number one geopolitical foe.”
In response to Obama’s speech, Romney campaign manager Matt Rhoades said in a statement that the president “offered more promises, but he hasn't kept the promises he made four years ago.”
“Americans will hold President Obama accountable for his record,” Rhoades said. “They know they’re not better off and that it’s time to change direction.”
