We must not allow the opponents of that agreement to derail the new progress that this year has brought.

As former Governors who spent years trying to improve our States' education systems, Secretary Riley and I are committed to an Education Department that is responsive to the needs of States and communities.

No longer can nations afford to build invisible walls at their borders because there are no longer national borders to free trade.

That is unacceptable to me.

This group of talented men and women will provide solid support for our Cabinet Secretaries and agency heads who have taken on the challenge of making our Federal Government work better for the American people.

I feel good about it. And what we find is that if people know the truth, the more they'll be for it.

This agreement will make that less likely, not more likely.

Everything bad that everybody tells you about with this agreement can go right on happening if we don't adopt it.

That's just a Washington story.

We can compete and win.

This makes NAFTA not only a stimulus for economic growth, but a force for social good.

I think this is a very important, symbolic issue.

The Secretary of State shall be responsible for the conduct of United States relations with the Freely Associated States.

We're going to win it.

It is very important for the elderly, also important for a lot of these young people who might have asthma or some other condition that would require medication.

The North American Free Trade Agreement is an essential part of the economic strategy of this country: expanding markets abroad and providing a level playing field for American workers to compete and win in the global economy.

You said something to the people making public policy that had not been heard before.

The bottom line, my fellow Americans, is this: We have to create a system of comprehensive benefits that are always there that can never be taken away.