I'm confident that America's foreign policy rebalance to the region will endure beyond my presidency because it's in the national interest of the United States.

We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued and they must be defeated.

Even limited military actions end up carrying with them great costs and unintended consequences.

I miss Saturday morning, rolling out of bed, not shaving, getting into my car with my girls, driving to the supermarket, squeezing the fruit, getting my car washed, taking walks.

Citizenship means standing up for the lives that gun violence steals from us each day. I have seen the courage of parents, students, pastors, and police officers all over this country who say 'we are not afraid,' and I intend to keep trying, with or without Congress, to help stop more tragedies from visiting innocent Americans in our movie theaters, shopping malls, or schools like Sandy Hook.

I think we need missile defense. But I want to make sure it works, that it's cost effective, that the technologies are operable, that it's our best possible strategy, and that hasn't been shown.

It was as if he had come to mistrust words somehow. Words, and the sentiments words carried.