Barack Obama: “That's what everybody deserves in this country, the opportunity to make of their lives what they will, no matter who…”

In forming our union, the founders fell terribly short of the Declaration's promise, leaving slavery intact, allowing states to restrict the franchise to white men who owned property.

They're meant to remind us of who we can be, to remind us of what's possible, so we can forge ahead.

This idea that any suggestion or criticism that America was anything other than perfect is unpatriotic... is a suggestion that you hate your country.

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…