Christie Targets Obama, Entitlements In Michigan Speech

SHELBY TOWNSHIP (AP) — Potential 2016 presidential candidate Chris Christie said Friday that the U.S. has become a "weaker" country under President Barack Obama and it needs a leader unafraid to "lead the world" and tell Americans the truth about addressing entitlement programs.

"America under Barack Obama has become a defensive, reactive and weaker country both at home and abroad," the New Jersey governor told about 800 people at the Macomb County Republican Party's annual Lincoln fundraising dinner in suburban Detroit's Shelby Township.

He said Obama has presided over "dysfunction" in Washington, where "compromise is a dirty word."

Christie, in a 27-minute speech that followed a private reception, also accused the president of a "petulant and disgraceful act of absolute selfishness in attacking our greatest ally in the Middle East and the only democracy in the Middle East, in Israel." He said Obama, by negotiating with Iran, is putting it on a "guide path" to obtaining nuclear weapons.

The Obama administration has made an accord that lessens fear about Iran's nuclear weapons potential a top foreign policy objective. Iran denies any interest in such arms but has been drawn to the negotiating table in part by the promise of a lifting of sanctions.

"When America doesn't lead, bad people with bad intentions do lead," Christie said. "We need a leader in the White House once again who knows how to lead America and lead the world."

Christie, who recently launched a super PAC that can raise unlimited money for his presidential ambitions, also brought up costlier U.S. entitlement programs without mentioning any by name. He touted changes he made to New Jersey's public pension system, such as increasing the retirement age and eliminating cost-of-living adjustments.

"This was not genius work. This is common sense. Yet we don't hear that conversation coming out of Washington, D.C. We certainly don't hear it coming out of the White House," he said.

Christie did not take questions from the media after his speech.

Last year, he broadened his national network while raising tens of millions of dollars to help elect Republican governors such as Michigan's Rick Snyder. He was last in the state on the eve of the November election.

"If you stand with me, I will stand with you and we'll retake America again," Christie told the crowd.

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