Obama to Counter Romney Attacks in UN Speech

President Barack Obama will use his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to counter criticism by GOP challenger Mitt Romney that the administration lacks a strong foreign policy.

The president will “send a clear message that the United States will never retreat from the world,” White House press secretary Jay Carney told The Hill on Monday.

The address comes just six weeks before Election Day, with Obama appearing to be leading Romney in nine swing states.

The Romney campaign has seized on Obama’s decision not to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the General Assembly, along with the recent attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya that left four Americans dead, to bolster its argument that the president’s foreign policy is weak, The Hill reports.

Romney officials contend that Obama is undermining U.S. strength overseas and abandoning its closest allies, including Israel.

Campaign aides noted that Obama taped an appearance on ABC’s “The View” instead of meeting with the assembled leaders as part of traditional bilateral meetings, The Hill reports.