Obama Says He's 'Proud Generally' of Our Troops

In an interview Monday with Denver station KCNC-TV, President Obama spoke about support for U.S. troops, saying that "we've got to make sure that we're caring for our soldiers," but followed the seemingly compassionate pledge up with a disparaging remark that appeared to dismiss and diminish America's service men and women outright. In speaking about our troops, the president said: "You can't help but be proud of them generally."

The comment came on the heels of the killing of 16 Afghan civilians allegedly by an American soldier.

Obama said that Americans must make sure we're "caring for our men and women in uniform who are serving so valiantly, and we're caring for their families. And that's why we've actually put more resources into dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries."

"And obviously what happened this weekend was absolutely tragic and heartbreaking. But when you look at what hundreds of thousands of our military personnel have achieved under enormous strain, you can't help but be proud generally."

President Obama called the episode "tragic," and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called it "inexplicable."

According to the Associated Press, Obama told a television interviewer Monday that the killings underscore the need to hand over responsibility for security to Afghans. But he said it won't lead to an early withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Former UN Ambassador John Bolton then reacted to the president’s comments on Your World with Neil Cavuto, saying, “If that’s a direct quote from the president, I am stunned by that. He should be proud of all of the troops – period. Obviously, sometimes a tragedy like this can happen."

Watch Bolton's reaction below:

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Bold emphasis added by The Blaze.