Barack Obama: “The American people expect their Government to enhance security without undermining their privacy and civil liberties.”

America is currently experiencing anger and vision but we are looking for fairness and common sense and mutual respect.

We’ve now fought a war, spent billions and billions of dollars, you know, put enormous strain on our military. A lot of people have died. And it feels like we’re back where we were before we started the war, except maybe a little bit worse…

There’s no doubt that we are going through a period right now of disruption, polarization.

We designed the center not to be some lifeless mausoleum.