Al Qaeda is still a threat. We cannot pretend somehow that because Barack Hussein Obama got elected as president, suddenly everything is going to be OK.

When times get tough, we don't give up. We get up.

Medicare in particular, will run out of money, and we will not be able to sustain that program.

Few challenges facing America and the world are more urgent than combating climate change. The science is beyond dispute and the facts are clear.

We may come from different places and have different stories, but we share common hopes, and one very American dream.

Let's be grateful for what we have. Let's be mindful of those who have less. Let's appreciate those who hold a special place in our lives, and make sure they know it. And let's think about those who can't spend the holiday with their loved ones - especially the members of our military serving overseas.

I do not accept that we cannot find a common sense way to preserve our traditions, including our basic second amendment freedoms and the rights of law abiding gun owners, while at the same time reducing the gun violence that unleashes so much mayhem on a regular basis.