Obama Praises His Own Admin for Saving 'Countless Lives' & Pledges to 'Always Be There for Israel

President Obama made sure to praise his own administration during a somber speech at the U.S. Holocaust Museum on Monday -- a speech that also included references to genocide, Syria, and his claims to "always be there for Israel." The leader of the free world said that it's essential for the international community not allow the "seeds of hate" to take root again.

In addition to praising his administration for saving lives, he reiterated his support for Israel and announced new orders that will govern the treatment of regimes who violate their peoples' rights.

As the Associated Press reports, the event was used as an opportunity for the president to outline a his plans to impose sanctions against foreign entities who use technology to crack down on citizens. The main targets of the executive order governing these new regulatory structures are Iran and Syria -- two contemporary human rights violators.

National sovereignty, Obama said, is not a license to "slaughter your people." The president made it clear that the United States, teamed with international partners, would not tolerate such behavior. You can read more about these sanctions and regulations here.

While the speech was widely focused upon grand human rights issues, Obama did take the time to praise his administration's handling of global events over the past three years. In particular, he staked the claim that his administration has "saved countless lives." In addition to addressing the Holocaust, he also spoke of the modern-day mass murders that have taken place in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

And despite consistent claims that the president is weak when it comes to supporting the Israeli homeland, he made his devotion -- at least rhetorically speaking -- more than clear. While he has disagreed with Israel's leaders about how to handle Iran, he said that he will always stand with Israel.

Obama, while referencing a tour he once took of the Warsaw Ghetto, recalled what a woman there told him about Israel. She said, "it's the only Jewish state we have."

"And I made her a promise in that solemn place," he said. "I said, 'I will always be there for Israel.'"