And there is no getting away from the fact - and this is a key point of discontent among many who are upset with the health care reform bill is it didn't go far enough. They say why isn't it in place now? Why don't I see some benefits now? All I see is the potential for losing insurance coverage, for premiums going up. That's hurting Obama.

Frederick Douglass had to teach himself how to read before standing up to defeat slavery.

If you're a black kid, you're going to have hell in your life.

Cable would not translate into the public radio universe.

I think you know what? You've got to believe in yourself. You can do it.

In other words, United States, our values, the way that we occupy ourselves in terms of saying here's the way we stand in this country when we go to war, it's not that we go in and we kill off anybody, including families. We don't take the riches. We don't claim the women. My God, that's not America.

Hikes in the debt ceiling - without any political demands from the opposition party - had been routine until President Obama took office.