I have a deep appreciation for the wisdom of this guy , George Washington.

Those who are troubled by our existing programs are not interested in a repeat of 9/11, and those who defend these programs are not dismissive of civil liberties. The challenge is getting the details right, and that's not simple.

My job is not to represent Washington to you, but to represent you to Washington.

The president is eager to get to work and looks forward to working with the new Congress on policies that will make sure middle-class Americans are sharing in the economic recovery, but the president is clear that he will not let this Congress undo important protections gained -- particularly in areas of health care, Wall Street reform and the environment.

While we breathe, we will hope.

In order to make reforms sustainable, the Greek economy needs the space to return to growth and start creating jobs again.

For the young people here: practicality is a good thing. There are times where compromise is necessary. That's part of wisdom. But it's also important to hang on to what you believe.