Nightly News   |  February 11, 2011

Obama praises 'power of human dignity'

Addressing the resignation of Egyptian President Mubarak, President Obama on Friday praised the predominately peaceful protests that called for change and recalled words from Martin Luther King Jr.: “There’s something in the soul that cries for freedom.” NBC's Chuck Todd reports.

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>>> at the obama white house last night and today, the ongoing effort, don't forget to try to play this right, and then get the reaction to mubarak's departure right. our chief white house correspondent, chuck todd , was there for all of it. chuck, good evening.

>> reporter: good evening, brian . well, the president was in a meeting with some other senior advisers when he was interrupted and told about the mubarak resignation. he then did what so many of us did and just went outside to a television and watched all of those scenes unfold that we've seen. ron and richard experience. in fact you could tell the scenes of what he was watching influenced what he told the country later this afternoon.

>> this is the power of human dignity . and it can never be denied. egyptians have inspired us, and they have done so by putting the lie to the idea that justice is best gained through violence. egypt has played a pivotal role in human history for over 6,000 years. but over the last few weeks, the wheel of history turned at a blinding pace. the egyptian people demanded their universal rights.

>> reporter: it was significant what the president didn't say. he didn't use this speech today, brian , to talk about a new middle eastern policy having to do with saudi arabia or jordan or protecting israel, saying things like that. he chose today, and the administration said today is about egypt, today is about their day, their freedom and they wanted to let that be what everybody talked about and what the president talked about, brian .

>> chuck todd , what a day this was at the white