Ryan blasts Obama for what he considers an anemic foreign policy

DE PERE, Wis. -- Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan lashed out at the Obama administration Wednesday for carrying out what he calls an anemic foreign policy -- following a pair of devastating attacks overseas that claimed the lives of four Americans.

"If you show weakness, if you show moral equivocation then foreign policy adventurism among our adversaries will increase," Ryan said during a town hall meeting.

"We do not want a world climate where our adversaries are so tempted to test us and our allies are worried about trusting us and that is unfortunately the path that we are on right now, and I'm really worried about that," he added.

His comments come after angry mobs Tuesday stormed the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt -- climbing walls, then ripping down the American flag and replacing it with a black banner used by hard-line Islamist groups.

In a separate assault on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya - U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, Foreign Service Officer Sean Smith and two other were murdered.

"I know all Americans today are shocked and saddened by the news from the Middle East," Ryan said. "The attacks on our diplomatic missions in Egypt and Libya and the loss of four American lives including our Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. This is outrageous. Our hearts are heavy and our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families."

After asking for a moment of silence to honor the victims of the attacks, Ryan added, "This is a time for healing. It is a time for resolve. And in the face of such a tragedy, we are reminded that the world needs American leadership."

During a press conference at the White House, President Obama called the attacks "outrageous and shocking," and vowed to "bring justice" to the killers.