奥巴马首次出席联合国大会

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World's leaders began a second day of talks at the United Nations. That’s where President Obama will address the General Assembly later today. Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper has a preview of that speech. Good morning, Jake. 

Good morning, Robin, well, in his first ever address to the United Nation's General Assembly, President Obama will use some rather blunt language, asking other countries to step up according to excerpt of the speech provided this morning. (Thank you very much) In his speech, the President will challenge the world to start living up to its responsibilities. “Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot stand by and wait for America to solve the world’s problems alone”, he will say.

He needs to prove that he has something to say, something, some organizing principle in terms of his foreign policy. We haven’t seen that yet. President Obama has already just in the last 24 hours faced a rash of foreign policy challenges from failure to find consensus on climate change to escalating trade tensions with China to Mideast peace. Today he’s hoping for better luck, pressing the proverbial reset button when he meets with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev who is pleased with last week’s announcement--the US is seeking smaller and more mobile missile defense in Europe. The President hopes Russia will now be more inclined to help convince Iran to end its nuclear weapons program.

In order to translate the magic he had when he took office into an image that will really boost America’s standing in the world, he has to produce something tangible and he hasn't yet. 

Another great challenge--the war in Afghanistan. This morning, there are reports that the President is exploring alternatives to a major troop increase, including a plan from Vice President Joe Biden to reduce troops and focus more on rooting out al-Qaeda. In an interview at Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Women Summit, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice underlined her view of the consequences of failure. “If you want another terrorist attack in the United States, abandon Afghanistan.”

That Biden proposal is, er, more keenly focused on rooting out al-Qaeda in Pakistan. It could ultimately maybe mean fewer troops, but not necessarily. The way that the President’s decision-making process is described to me, Robin, everyone’s point of view is aired and everyone is able to ask probing questions.