The intense pressure coming from the Obama administration to curtail free speech and intimidate citizens into keeping quiet isn't affecting Google, owner of YouTube.

Politico:

Google will leave a controversial video clip about the Islamic prophet Muhammad on YouTube despite a White House request that the company review it under its own policies, the company said Friday.

The White House confirmed Friday that it asked Google to review whether the clip violated its policies and should be taken down. Google decided that the video does not violate its policies.

"We work hard to create a community everyone can enjoy and which also enables people to express different opinions," a YouTube spokeswoman said in a statement. "This can be a challenge because what's OK in one country can be offensive elsewhere.  This video - which is widely available on the Web - is clearly within our guidelines and so will stay on YouTube."

"However, we've restricted access to it in countries where it is illegal such as India and Indonesia, as well as in Libya and Egypt given the very sensitive situations in these two countries," the spokeswoman said.

The video, deemed offensive by many Muslims, is believed to have spurred violence in Libya this week where four Americans were killed.

What are the feds doing investigating the alleged film maker? What is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff doing calling an insignificant Florida pastor pressuring him not to support the film?

With the president preferring to justify the attacks against our embassies rather than unapologetically stand up for free speech in the face of these challenges to American values, it shouldn't surprise us that he wants the government to curtail the First Amendment as a sop to the barbarians who demand that we abandon our most cherished beliefs.

Kudos to Google for standing up to these bullies -- and for standing up for free speech.