Barack Obama

Michelle and I extend our condolences to the entire Stevens family and to the families of those who perished alongside Senator Stevens in this terrible accident.

It is an American problem.

You did not elect me to just try to do what was politically expedient at the moment.

We are very proud of this team, and we are very proud of the owner of this team.

Congratulations to the 2009 Super Bowl champions, the New Orleans Saints.

Change is never easy, and I applaud Secretary Gates and his team for undertaking this critical effort to support our men and women in uniform and strengthen our national security.

Today's announcement by Secretary Gates is another step forward in the reform efforts he has undertaken to reduce excess overhead costs, cut waste, and reform the way the Pentagon does business.

Education is an economic issue of our time.

We are a better country than that, and we need to act like we're a better country than that.

People who out-educate us today are going to out-compete us tomorrow.

I am absolutely confident that if you keep pouring yourselves into your own education, America will compete and succeed.

I'm absolutely confident that America is going to be back not just to as strong as we were before this crisis, but stronger than we've been before.

I remember paying you a visit during the campaign.

These are big guys with big hearts and shoulders big enough to carry the hopes and dreams of an entire city with them.

Our decision on the autos was really unpopular, and we now have an auto industry that has posted profits in all three auto companies for the first time in a long time.

A plan that rewards hard work instead of greed.

The single most important thing we can do is to make sure we've got a world-class education system for everybody.

I have long said that we need to change the way that Washington works so that it works better for the American people.

I understand this personally, because Michelle and I, we had big loans to pay off when we graduated.

We need to have some stronger rules of the road in place.

This team took the hopes and the dreams of a shattered city and placed them squarely on its shoulders.

Nobody should go bankrupt just because they get sick and no child should go without basic preventive care.

We can't accept anything but the best in America's classrooms.

After 19 months in office, we are on the right track.

We've got to lift graduation rates.