I don't know the facts of when Joe Soptic's wife got sick or when she died.

We have proved that the true strength of our nation comes not from the scale of our wealth but from the power of our ideals - opportunity, democracy, liberty and hope.

We will not hesitate to speak out when we see actions that contradict those values.

I am here for my mother and all the Americans who are forced to spend time arguing with health insurance companies instead of focusing on getting well. I am here for the millions of lives that will be touched and in some cases, saved, by health insurance reform. I am here for the small businesses who are forced to choose between health care and hiring. I am here for the seniors who are unable to afford the prescriptions they need.

It is our generation's task, then, to reignite the true engine of America's economic growth - a rising, thriving middle class.

I don't have to negotiate an arms agreement with Great Britain or with France.

My question would be whether there is active persecution of atheists.