With a weak and rotting core, you don't have much of a foreign policy. You're discounted at the negotiating table, economically and militarily. So when people ask what's the best course of action for the U.S.-China relationship, I can give you ten academic responses. But the reality is we need to rebuild our core.

When America closes its doors, so does everybody else.

I think we have to be very sensitive to our need to compete, moving forward, and a lot of that is tied to tax policy.

America is the primary engine of growth in the world and we are the only beacon of free trade left, and open markets.

We're fighting an enemy that is far different than any we have got before. It's a nontraditional kind of war, and I think we need to step back, recalibrate how we go about protecting our borders and protecting our people, and resetting our position in the world.

People truly reaching across boundaries - be they religious or race, political or geographic. A state that is sincerely civil and respectful of each individual's pathway toward life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness will be our goal.

The real secret about diplomats is that we're trained to say something, when there is nothing to say, and to say nothing when there is something to say.