My powers of empathy, my ability to reach into another's heart, cannot penetrate the blank stares of those who would murder innocents with abstract, serene satisfaction.

The small irritations or indignities that we experience are nothing compared to what a previous generation experienced... It’s one thing for me to be mistaken for a waiter at a gala. It’s another thing for my son to be mistaken for a robber and to be handcuffed or, worse, if he happens to be walking down the street and is dressed the way teenagers dress.

We start this new year in the midst of an economic crisis unlike we have seen in our lifetime.

Tough talk often draws headlines, but war rarely conforms to slogans.

Sometimes slow, steady effort is rewarded with justice that arrives like a thunderbolt.

For America to get more entangled militarily in Syria is a serious step, and we have to do so making absolutely certain that we know who we are helping; that we're not putting arms in the hands of folks who eventually could turn them against us or allies in the region.

Change doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington