The White House revealed that U.S. President Barack Obama would have wanted to attend the unity march in Paris over the weekend to show its solidarity with France, which has been rocked by a series of militant attacks that left 17 people dead.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said it was fair to say that the U.S. should have represented by a higher official in the march. He quickly added, though, that there is no doubt they stand behind France as the country deals with attacks and threats from extremists, ShareNet relayed.

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French President Francois Hollande, together with various dignitaries from around the world, led more than a million people in walking through the crowded streets of the French capital, as a sign of unity against extremism.

U.S. ambassador to France, Jane Hartley, served as America's representative in the march, the report added.

Security risks were the reason why neither Vice President Joe Biden nor Obama took part in the event, and security arrangements get in the way of mounting such events, Washington explained.

Several Republican senators and U.S. newspapers called out the White House for falling short of taking a leadership position in the march, which got together leaders from Germany, Britain, Israel and others from the world, according to the report.

Soon after the attacks, Obama had spoken to Hollande and he signed a book of condolences at the French Embassy in Washington.

Because Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and his arch-rival, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were seen joining European and African leaders in the march, the absence of Obama and other top U.S. officials became even more conspicuous to the public eye.

A New York daily showed a banner image of the packed rally along with faces of Secretary of State John Kerry, Biden and Obama along with the message that they let the world down.

Republican Senator Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, both presidential candidates in the 2016 elections, dished out their opinions on the issue.

Cruz said the tepid U.S. presence in the March shows a lack of American leadership and it is dangerous, adding that the president and his men must never hesitate to stand with their international allies. Rubio, on the other hand, thought not sending someone to the solidarity march was a big mistake for the U.S.

TagsBarack Obama, unity march, 'Je suis Charlie', Charlie Hebdo