This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," September 23, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: President Obama earlier today addressed the United Nations General Assembly for the first time since he was sworn into office. And the dictators assembled there heard from a very different president than this country has become accustomed to over the past eight months.
One who seems to have forgotten some of the defining moments of his own presidency. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Now like all of you, my responsibility is to act in the interests of my nation and my people. And I will never apologize for defending those interests.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: He'll never apologize? This from the president who has made an apology an art form? Prancing from one world capital to another pointing out America's flaws?
• Video: Watch the 'Hannity' segment
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA (IN STRASBOURGH, FRANCE, APRIL 3): There have been times where America's shown arrogance. And been dismissive. Even derisive.
(ANKARA, TURKEY, APRIL 6): The United States is still working through some of our own darker periods in our history.
(TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, APRIL 17): We've at times been disengaged and at times we've sought to dictate our terms.
(LANGLEY, VA., APRIL 20): We have to acknowledge potentially we've made some mistakes. That's how we learn.
(MAY 21): Unfortunately, faced with an uncertain threat, our government made a series of hasty decisions. In other words, we went off course.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Then there were the whoppers that he unloaded about his eagerness to stand up for human rights around the world. From the sound of it, you would think you were listening to Thomas Jefferson. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: True leadership will not be measured by the ability to muzzle dissent or intimidate and harass political opponents at home. The people of the world want change. They will not long tolerate those who are on the wrong side of history.
And I pledge that America will always stand with those who stand up for their dignity and their rights. For the student who seeks to learn, the voter who demands to be heard, the innocent who longs to be free. The oppressed who yearns to be equal.
There are basic principles that are universal. There are certain truths which are self-evident. And the United States of America will never waver in our efforts to stand up for the right of people everywhere t o determine their own destiny.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: So Mr. President, where were you when the Iranian government was gunning down its own citizens in the streets of Tehran? Where were you when the Iranian people were demanding that their votes be counted?
I guess in this president's world view, there happen to be a lot of exceptions to the U.S.'s willingness to stand up for human rights. Like, you know, if standing by our principles will make anybody angry or disrupt negotiations with any dictators, of course, that we're trying to befriend.
• Great American Blog: Sound off on Obama's speech!
And joining me now with react ion to all of this is the author of The New York Times best-selling book, "Culture of Corruption," Michelle Malkin is with us.
Michelle, good to see you. Thanks for being with us.
MICHELLE MALKIN, "THE CULTURE OF CORRUPTION" AUTHOR: Thanks, Sean.
HANNITY: All right, you know, why? Why the constant apologies by this president?
MALKIN: He doesn't like this country very much. And I think you did a great video tour there of all of his wonderful hits on his "We Suck `09 Tour" so far. And this latest speech before the United Nations and its cast of villainous characters that was really a legion of doom parade that he dignified with his presence, and he solidified his place in the international view as the great appeaser and the groveler in chief.
HANNITY: Yes, but, you know, I want a president, I think most Americans want a president that's going to tell the world, celebrate our goodness, our charity, our generosity, our advancement of the human condition, the cause of freedom.
And I'm watching him today, and I just felt like once again he's pandering to the worst regimes and thugs and dictators around the world.
Do you think that it's -- does he want to be liked? Does he want to be accepted? Does he want to be the world's president? Why?
MALKIN: Well, it's -- this is his view of America, the United States. There wasn't a word of praise or defense for our troops and what they do to secure freedom around the world. And as you mentioned, Sean, there he was, talking about how he will not waver as he is waffling on Afghanistan and leaving our troops in the lurch.
He talked about defending the innocent and yet there was not a word about Nada or all of the innocents who stood up and shed blood to fight for freedom in Iran. He has thrown Czechoslovakia and Poland under the bus. And who knows who else along with it among what's left of our allies.
HANNITY: You know, whatever happened to -- he said in the speech, and this is I think shocked me as much as saying that he imagines a world without nuclear weapons, I thought we were going to hear John Lennon come on in the background.
(LAUGHTER)
But, you know, he says democracy cannot be imposed on any nation from outside. He goes on to say -- he said, and the United States of America will never waver in our attempts to stand up for the right of people to determine their own destiny.
I thought it was America's belief, our founding document believes that we're endowed by our creator and that we're -- that human beings are designed to be free. But he's saying no, no, we're not going to force our values on you. And I found that almost shocking to me.
MALKIN: Implicitly and explicitly this speech was a rejection of American exceptionalism which is not unusual among the circles that he has traveled in his entire life. From the Chicago far left academic circles to the pew that he sat in for 20 years where Jeremiah Wright certainly shares many of the views of Muammar Qaddafi and Ahmadinejad and Eva Morales and all of the other tin pot dictators that Barack Obama has literally and figuratively bowed and scraped to for the last eight months.
HANNITY: All right. How will the world receive this? Inasmuch as -- you know, he went right for the applause lines. You know, my first day in office, I, without equivocation, banned torture. I ordered the closing of Guantanamo. And Iraq we're ending that war. No one nation can dominate another nation.
How is that going to be perceived by those countries that we view as our enemies? You know, how is it going to be perceived in China and North Korea, Iran right now? How will they receive it?
MALKIN: Those who hate us will always hate us. And while there may be momentary tittering and applause for these pandering lies, the hatred for America is never going to go away. And that's something that Barack Obama and his hard left ideologue friends and allies will never, ever understand.
HANNITY: But I think maybe I should word it differently. I mean, will they perceive his comments as weakness by the United States, that America has lost its resolve?
MALKIN: Of course. I mean, with this speech, and over the last eight months with his policies of retreat and surrender, he has solidified his place as the weakest of weak leaders of modern American history. There's no question about it.
HANNITY: Well, it's always.
MALKIN: They laugh at us. He is a laughingstock.
HANNITY: If -- look, if Qaddafi wants to adopt as his son and wants you to be president for life and Castro praises you it's a good sign that things have gone wrong. Two other points. One the issue -- when he used that loaded term, in terms of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict occupation, then he talked about dreaming about a world without nuclear weapons, what was your reaction to that?
Because that sounded like almost unilateral disarmament to me and that he won't defend the cause of freedom as we have historically.
MALKIN: Well, that's certainly how it will be interpreted by our enemies. And again, this is typical rhetoric that you've heard from the likes of his anti-Semitic supporters, anti-Israel supporters whether it's Rashid Khalidi or those hard left academics in Columbia University and the University of Chicago who are certainly applauding right along with all of these dictators and villains at the U.N. General Assembly.
HANNITY: All right, Michelle. Good to see you as always. Congratulations on the book. Appreciate you being here.
MALKIN: Thanks.
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