Former Polish President Lech Walesa says America no longer leads the world “in terms of politics and morality.”
Walesa, in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, spoke negatively about President Obama’s leadership skills.
{mosads}“When he was elected there was great hope in the world. We were hoping that Obama would reclaim moral leadership for America, but that failed. America does not lead the world in the area of morality,” Walesa said.
Walesa, who is promoting a new biopic on his life, met with GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney during the 2012 campaign.
A Nobel Prize winner, Walesa served as president of Poland in the 1990s and led the Solidarity movement that helped end the Soviet Union’s grip on Eastern Europe.
He acknowledged the United States military remains the world’s top power but argued the U.S. economy is getting weaker.
“America did not regain its leadership status,” he said, adding that the world is lucky there were no major conflicts because otherwise it would be helpless.
It’s a dangerous situation in the long run, Walesa said. “We are awaiting a president who will understand that.”