One of the things that I've learned, and I think we've all learned, is that we are not going to get the kind of decisive, permanent victories in this fight against terrorism that we would get from fighting another country. We're not going to get that MacArthur/Emperor moment, because by definition, even after decimating Al Qaeda in the Fata, even after taking out [Osama] bin Laden there's still people there who have both the interest and the capacity if we don't maintain vigilance to strike against the United States.

I think we did a really good job in saving this economy and putting us back on the track of growth.

Sometimes if your only approach is cutting spending at a time when the economy's contracting, then the economy will contract further.

We can make sure that people who don't have health insurance can buy into an insurance pool that gives them better bargaining power.

I actually think, when you're young, ambitions are somewhat common - you want to prove yourself. It may grow out of different life experiences. You may want to prove that you are worthy of the admiration of the demanding father. You may want to prove that you are worthy of the love of an absent father.

The elevation of appearance over substance, of celebrity over character, of short term gains over lasting achievement displays a poverty of ambition. It distracts you from what's truly important.

The young are going to be the messengers of this continued strengthening of the diversity in America.