Barack Obama: “For America to succeed in the 21st century, we must have the most dynamic, educated workforce in the world.”

Every president here today, as different as we are, has tried our best to uphold the values that John McCain and Mitt Romney believed in no less than I did.

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.

It fortifies you to say that, yes, this has been part of the journey that we’re on.