I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda.

BARACK OBAMA, speech, Oct. 2, 2002

“That’s why I prefer drone strikes on American citizens.”

If we choose only to expose ourselves to opinions and viewpoints that are in line with our own, studies suggest that we become more polarized, more set in our ways. That will only reinforce and even deepen the political divides in this country. But if we choose to actively seek out information that challenges our assumptions and our beliefs, perhaps we can begin to understand where the people who disagree with us are coming from…. The practice of listening to opposing views is essential for effective citizenship. It is essential for our democracy.

BARACK OBAMA, remarks at University of Michigan, May 1, 2010

“It is essential to discovering the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of my opponents so that I can destroy them.

I’m happy to get good ideas from across the political spectrum, from Democrats and Republicans. What I won’t do is return to the failed theories of the last eight years that got us into this fix in the first place, because those theories have been tested, and they have failed.

BARACK OBAMA, press conference, Feb. 9, 2009

“Now, failed theories from 19th-century German economic philosophers, on the other hand…”

When special interests put their thumb on the scale, and distort the free market, the people who compete by the rules come in last.

BARACK OBAMA, speech, Aug. 2, 2008

Early draft Obama campaign slogan: “We’re all thumbs”.

I always believe that ultimately, if people are paying attention, then we get good government and good leadership. And when we get lazy, as a democracy and civically start taking shortcuts, then it results in bad government and politics.

BARACK OBAMA, MSNBC interview, Sep. 25, 2006

“I *love* how lazy you guys are. Free phones & healthcare for everyone!”

I have studied the Constitution as a student; I have taught it as a teacher; I have been bound by it as a lawyer and legislator. I took an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution as Commander-in-Chief, and as a citizen, I know that we must never – ever – turn our back on its enduring principles for expedience sake. I make this claim not simply as a matter of idealism. We uphold our most cherished values not only because doing so is right, but because it strengthens our country and keeps us safe.

BARACK OBAMA, speech, May 21, 2009

“Notice that I never said that the cherished values I uphold were the ones in the Constitution. Gotcha!”

From the day I took office, I’ve been told that addressing our larger challenges is too ambitious; such an effort would be too contentious. I’ve been told that our political system is too gridlocked, and that we should just put things on hold for a while. For those who make these claims, I have one simple question: How long should we wait? How long should America put its future on hold?

BARACK OBAMA, State of the Union Address, Jan. 27, 2010

I’ll say 2016. Does 2016 work for you guys?

Secularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering into the public square. Frederick Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, Williams Jennings Bryant, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King – indeed, the majority of great reformers in American history – were not only motivated by faith, but repeatedly used religious language to argue for their cause. So to say that men and women should not inject their “personal morality” into public policy debates is a practical absurdity. Our law is by definition a codification of morality, much of it grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition.

BARACK OBAMA, Jun. 28, 2006

“Just don’t be like those private-sector Bible-thumpers at Chik-Fil-A.”

We live in a culture that discourages empathy. A culture that too often tells us our principle goal in life is to be rich, thin, young, famous, safe, and entertained.

BARACK OBAMA, speech, Jul. 12, 2006

What is “safe” doing on that list of things he says we shouldn’t want “too often”?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but since he brought up “empathy” his message is “you shouldn’t feel X because other people aren’t”.

Again… what is “safe” doing on that list?

Also, is that whole list some sort of racist dog-whistle for “white”?

In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity – it is a pre-requisite.

BARACK OBAMA, Address to Joint Session of Congress, Feb. 24, 2009

“That’s why I’m proposing a network of special, high-intensity, ‘education camps’ all connected by high-speed rail.”

It’s in our interest to help foster democracy through the diplomatic and economic resources at our disposal. But even as we provide such help, we should be clear that the institutions of democracy – free markets, a free press, a strong civil society – cannot be built overnight, and they cannot be built at the end of a barrel of a gun.

BARACK OBAMA, speech, Nov. 20, 2006

“…but I’ll do my best to tear them down that way.”

The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity, on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

BARACK OBAMA, Inaugural Address, Jan. 20. 2009

“And rest assured that route will be thoroughly paved with only the very best of good intentions.”

America is a land of big dreamers and big hopes. It is this hope that has sustained us through revolution and civil war, depression and world war, a struggle for civil and social rights and the brink of nuclear crisis. And it is because our dreamers dreamed that we have emerged from each challenge more united, more prosperous, and more admired than before.

BARACK OBAMA, speech, Jun. 4, 2005

Welcome to your rude awakening, dreamers.

I think that one of the things that we all agree to is that the touchstone for economic policy is, does it allow the average American to find good employment and see their incomes rise; that we can’t just look at things in the aggregate, we do want to grow the pie, but we want to make sure that prosperity is spread across the spectrum of regions and occupations and genders and races; and that economic policy should focus on growing the pie, but it also has to make sure that everybody has got opportunity in that system.

BARACK OBAMA, New York Times, Apr. 28, 2009

“Everybody except… you know… the people who actually make the pie grow.”

Americans … still believe in an America where anything’s possible — they just don’t think their leaders do.

BARACK OBAMA, fundraising letter, Sep. 1, 2006

“…And now they’re right.”