Obama on Romney's Embassy Statement: 'Tendency to Shoot First and Aim Later

President Barack Obama criticized Mitt Romney's response to the deadly violence against American personnel in Libya and Egypt as an example of the Republican presidential nominee's tendency to "shoot first and aim later."

"There's a broader lesson to be learned here," Obama told CBS News Wednesday. "Governor Romney seems to have a tendency to shoot first and aim later, and as president one of the things I've learned is you can't do that. That it's important for you to make sure that the statements you make are backed up by the facts, and that you've thought through the ramifications before you make them."

In a statement released late Tuesday, Romney called it "disgraceful that the Obama administration’s first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks."

Romney was referring to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo that said it "condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims." An anti-Islam film was the purported reason behind the attacks, but the Cairo statement went out before they occurred. The Obama administration sought to distance itself from the statement, saying it was "not cleared by Washington and does not reflect the views of the United States government."

Asked whether he thought Romney's statement was irresponsible, Obama said, "I'll let the American people judge that."

Romney stood firm Wednesday morning, repeating the charge and telling reporters Obama was acting "in apology for our values."

“I think it’s a terrible course for America to stand in apology for our values,” he said. “The statement was akin to an apology, and I think was a severe miscalculation.”