But times like that are precisely when the power of song is most potent.

I am confident, for example, that when 1 in 10 of our fellow citizens can't work, we should be able to come together and help business create more jobs.

The sooner the business community has a sense that we've got our act together here in Washington, the better off the entire country is going to be.

The civil rights movement was a movement sustained by music.

The public has soured on the process that they saw over the last year.

Math is not partisan.

I won't hesitate to embrace a good idea from my friends in the minority party.

I think it's fair to say that the American people are frustrated with the lack of progress on some key issues.

I think the American people want to see that concrete action.

We've got to get past the tired debates that have plagued our politics.

A good place to start, and what I hope to spend a lot of time on in these discussions today, is how we can move forward on a jobs package that encourages small business to hire.

It's hard to sing in times like that.

I am so proud of the work that the First Lady, along with the Cabinet Secretaries behind me, have done in trying to tackle one of the most urgent health issues that we face in this country, and that is the increase in childhood obesity.

I'm going to be starting from scratch in the sense that I will be open to any ideas that help promote these goals.

So to everyone here or watching at home, let us enjoy the music we hear tonight.

My hope is this is not going to be a rare situation; we're going to be doing these on a regular basis.

Bipartisanship cannot mean simply that Democrats give up everything that they believe in.

We call on the Government of Iran to live up to its international human rights obligations.