I think they put some lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.

I cannot in good conscience vote in favor of tax cuts, irrespective of their size, or to which segment of the population they are targeted. Nor can I support any spending increases that are not related to improving our nation's defense from the obvious and serious threats facing us today.

[While] the primary responsibility, as we all acknowledge, (falls) with the family, ... Our homes, our families, our children's minds are being flooded by a tide of violence.

Each Middle East country has their own unique kinds of challenges; but the fundamentals, the desire for democracy and freely elected governments is a common thread throughout.

In the 2012 election, Obamacare, as it's called, and I'll be more polite - the ACA ...was a major issue in the campaign. I campaigned all over America for two months, everywhere I could. And in every single campaign rally I said, 'We have to repeal and replace Obamacare.' Well, the people spoke. They spoke, much to my dismay, but they spoke. And they reelected the President of the United States.

I can tell you that I think America is safer today than it was on 9/11. But that doesn't mean that we don't have a long way to go.

I observed a thousand acts of courage, compassion and love [as a POW] and I will always treasure that memory above all others.