Barack Obama: “Left unchecked, we have every reason to believe that Qadhafi would commit atrocities against his people.”

When we choose, when we make that decision, I do believe – and there is evidence for this – that the world gets incrementally better, and that is a worthy goal and it’s worth fighting for.

I think when we act on that basis, it doesn't always work out, but over time things do get better.

It is a decision about how do we face and embrace this finite amount of time we have on the planet.

Because if this becomes the new normal, there’s no reason to believe it will stop with her — or that future presidents, in either party, won’t do the same.