Popularity isn't the end-all, be-all. What matters far more is that you stick to your principles, that you stand up and you live a life of integrity.

If the problem is Washington is corrupt, why on Earth would you want to give more power to Washington?

I was not a community organizer before I was elected to the Senate, i spent five and a half years as the solicitor-general of Texas, the chief lawyer for the state of Texas in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.

I'm a big believer that good policy is good politics. And so, when it comes to making decisions on policy issues, what I endeavor to do is simply speak the truth.

I offer myself as a leader to the people of this country because I think they're looking for solutions, not lawyers arguing over laws or entertainers throwing out sound bites that draw media attention. We need to solve the problem.

Sometimes people try to give me advice going forward, and they say, "You know, you've just got to work to be more likeable in Washington." And I laugh and say, "You know this isn't rocket science.

A lot of my colleagues actually yell and curse at each other. I don't do that.