In a free society, there comes a time when the truth - however hard it may be to hear, however impolitic it may seem to say - must be told.

Population growth is straining the Earth's resources to the breaking point, and educating girls is the single most important factor in stabilizing that. That, plus helping women gain political and economic power and safeguarding their reproductive rights.

I pledge to you today that as president, in my first budget, I will introduce the largest increase in special education ever.

America's political system has evolved over the last 50 years in ways that have enhanced the power of business lobbies.

Our democracy, our constitutional framework is really a kind of software for harnessing the creativity and political imagination for all of our people. The American democratic system was an early political version of Napster.

When our founders created America, it was in the age of the printing press, when individuals could freely join the conversation. And that robust, democratic dialogue more often than not lifted up the best available evidence and asserted what was more likely to be true than not.

Making consumer choices that reward eco-friendly products and companies is a great way to start.