Obama Talks Terror at Navy Graduation

President Obama reiterated his wish to close Guantanamo Bay and rein in harsh interrogation techniques in an address today to graduates of the Naval Academy, the Wall Street Journal reports. “We uphold our fundamental principles and values not because we choose to, but because we swear to,” he said. “Not because they feel good but because they help keep us safe.”

Obama also told the newly minted Navy and Marine officers that they were responsible for the nation’s image overseas. The job is “to project American principles and values when you pull into that foreign port,” Obama told the graduates. “For so many people around the world, you are the face of America.” The ceremony marked the third and last of Obama’s commencement-season speaking engagements. (More US Naval Academy stories.)