Part of the reason that our politics seems so tough right now and facts and science and argument does not seem to be winning the day all the time is because we're hardwired not to always think clearly when we're scared. And the country's scared.

If war explodes in Sudan, it could have a destabilizing effect that creates more space for terrorist activity that could eventually be directed at our homeland.

I don't want to jump the gun, [but] I will tell you, though, that my goal is to have the best possible government.

If there's one thing I would like to see, it'd be for us to be able to price the cost of carbon emissions.

I remember having meetings with Republican senators who initially had been trying to engage [Obamacare] but saw that the politics of 'no' were growing inside the Republican Party.

I did not run for office to be helping out a bunch of, you know, fat cat bankers on Wall Street.

To sustain a governing majority, that requires an ability for Republicans and Democrats to find some common ground. And right now, the structure of the system is such where it makes it really hard for people to work together.