An armed man waves his rifle as buildings and cars are engulfed in flames after being set on fire inside the U.S. consulate compound in Benghazi, Libya. An armed mob protesting over a film made by an Israeli filmmaker based in California attacked the consulate and set fire to the building, killing U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other Americans.
"This was an attack by a small, savage group, not the people or government of Libya," she said. "America's commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the beginning of our nation, but let me be clear: there is no justification for this. None. Violence like this is no way to honor religion or faith and as long as there are those who would take innocent life in the name of God, the world will never know a true and lasting peace."
[See photos of GOP VP pick Paul Ryan.]
Obama, who also made remarks on Wednesday, steered clear of the American political arena and declined to take questions from reporters.
"Make no mistake, justice will be done," Obama said from the White House.
Obama has been long criticized by conservatives for taking a weak role in the Arab Spring and for taking the self-described role of 'leading from behind' during Libya's revolution. Since he's been in office, conservatives have also claimed he has weakened the United States' standing abroad by leading an "apology tour." It was a common applause line on the campaign trail for both Romney and rival Newt Gingrich during the GOP primary.
Conservatives were also upset this week when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the Obama Administration to task for what it characterized as lack of a clear deadline for dealing with Iran's nuclear program.
But American voters generally have a different take on Obama's foreign policy bona fides.
According to a recent Washington Post/ABC News survey, 51 percent of likely voters trust Obama more when it comes to handling international affairs, compared to 38 percent who prefer Romney.
Rebekah Metzler is a political writer for U.S. News & World Report. You can contact her at rmetzler@usnews.com or follow her on Twitter.
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