George W. Bush: “I want to thank you and the colonel for taking the lead.”

Violence and vitriol must be purged from the public square. Members of other political parties are not our enemies; they are our fellow citizens.

If any voters came hoping for a kind word and a hug, they’d have to settle for the kind word.

Is it in our interest that 25 million people who would have died now live? I think it is. On behalf of a grateful nation, thank you for your hard work and God bless you.

We know our words cannot help, but we believe the prayers of so many Americans will.