Barack Obama: “Our hearts and thoughts and prayers go out to their families.”

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.

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.

it was nevertheless important that we all play a part in assuring that our elected officials are accountable.

I hope this center will serve as an affirmation of just how special, how precious our democracy truly is.