My goal is to be a great-looking 70-year-old! I won't mind being 70, but I want people to say, "You're 70?"

And I come here as a daughter, raised on the South Side of Chicago - by a father who was a blue-collar city worker and a mother who stayed at home with my brother and me.

Hope is necessary. It's a necessary concept. And Barack Obama didn't just talk about hope because he thought it was just a nice slogan to get votes.

I never thought I'd be on Sesame Street with Elmo and Big Bird. I'm still thrilled. I'm on a high.

People have notions of what a wife's role should be in this process, and it's been a traditional one of blind adoration. My model is a little different - I think most real marriages are.

As women, we must stand up for ourselves. We must stand up for each other. We must stand up for justice for all.

Success is only meaningful - and enjoyable - if it feels like your own.