Obama on Free Speech: Was He Being Utopian?

President Obama’s defense of freedom of speech before the United Nations has generally drawn positive reviews. The editorial page of the Times called it a “firm push back” against the anti-American violence in the Muslim world; the Washington Post said it was “refreshing.” John Avlon, of the Daily Beast, wrote, “this was the speech Obama needed to give—and the world needed to hear.” Even some of the people who have been criticizing Obama for failing to respond aggressively enough to the protests in Egypt, Libya, and other countries grudgingly praised the U.N. address. In a piece at the National Review Online, Brett Schaefer, of the Heritage Foundation, said the President’s defense of the First Amendment “was far stronger than had been previously articulated by the administration.” The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg said Obama went “part of the way” to redress his previous omissions.

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