Medical malpractice - that's a great issue for Republicans and you didn't hear anyone talk about it.

Play small ball. Get back to basics. I would say that you need to be a conservative, but you need to maintain your independent streak.

I think the liberals are going to try to blame - and they already are - this entire mess on the right and on President [George W.] Bush. I think Republicans dropped the ball on actually articulating why we got into this economic mess, but it's not too late.

You also need to show a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to impropriety. That's one of the things, again, that Republicans left on the table as a missed opportunity.

I'm OK with guns in schools, if it's a security, trained security personnel. But every teacher having a gun, I don't know if I can jump up and down on that one and fully get behind it.

George Washington said, "All I am, I owe to my mother." That's so true. My mom pushed me to get in politics. She pushed me to learn a bunch of languages. She pushed me and inspired me. She is the reason why I'm in politics.

White House is ranting up its rhetoric for Republicans, using wild words to attack them over the budget standoff.