President Obama has made it clear that the United States is determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

I'm neither Republican nor Democrat. I've worked for the past five administrations.

I go to bed at night worrying that I didn't do enough that day to make sure I protect the American people.

We will use all lawful tools at our disposal, and that includes authorities under the renewed PATRIOT Act. We firmly believe that our intelligence gathering tools must enable us to collect the information we need to protect the American people.

Simply stated, the need for accurate intelligence and prescient analysis from CIA has never been greater than it is in 2013 - or than it will be in the coming years.

The risk of just one terrorist with just one nuclear weapon is a risk we simply cannot afford to take.

Our democratic values also include - and our national security demands - open and transparent government. Some information obviously needs to be protected. And since his first days in office, President Obama has worked to strike the proper balance between the security the American people deserve and the openness our democratic society expects.