America is the promised land, because each generation bequeathed to its children a promise, a promise that they might not come to enjoy but which they fully expected their offspring to fulfill. So the words 'all men are created equal' took a life of its own, ultimately destined to end slavery and enfranchise women. And the words 'equal protection' and 'due process' inevitably led to the end of the words 'separate but equal,' ensuring that the walls of segregation would crumble, whether at the lunch counter or at the voting booth.

But all our differences hardly measure up to the values we all hold in common.

Osama bin Laden is dead, and General Motors is alive.

The spread of nuclear weapons is the greatest threat facing the country-and I would argue facing humanity.

Transgender discrimination is the civil rights issue of our time

Don't be intimidated by power, wealth or station, character alone makes all the difference.

Should we have border security there? Yes. But the idea of the United States erecting a wall for the world to see makes a lie of everything we say about ourselves. It's a little bit like why the President [Barack Obama] and I feel so strongly about closing Guantanamo. It is inconsistent with who we are.