When President Obama entered the White House the economy was in a free-fall. The auto industry: on its back. The banks: frozen up. More than three million Americans had already lost their jobs. And America's bravest our men and women in uniform were fighting what would soon be the longest wars in our history.

I just think it would be unrealistic to suggest we're going to eliminate every last domestic insurgent in Afghanistan. Certainly the history of the country would indicate that's not a very realistic objective and I think we have to have realistic objectives.

If I were beginning my career today I don't think I would take the same direction. Television is at a crossroads at the moment. And although I am not up to date technologically I suspect that somewhere out there people are conveying things about natural history by means other than television and I think if I were beginning today I'd be there.

This is what I would have done if I had to have a real job: I would have been a history teacher.

Our liberal New York/Washington-based media would never in a million years put Liberal Godfather Ted Kennedy on the spot about his clan's bad behavior to whose lurid history he himself has contributed so much.

I have the opportunity to be part of swimming history. To take the sport to a new level would be an honor for me. There's no better time to try this than now.

Storytelling in general is a communal act. Throughout human history people would gather around whether by the fire or at a tavern and tell stories. One person would chime in then another maybe someone would repeat a story they heard already but with a different spin. It's a collective process.

If a secret history of books could be written and the author's private thoughts and meanings noted down alongside of his story how many insipid volumes would become interesting and dull tales excite the reader!

Without words without writing and without books there would be no history there could be no concept of humanity.

Now there are some who would like to rewrite history - revisionist historians is what I like to call them.

I want no epitaphs of profound history and all that type of thing. I contributed. I would hope they would say that and I would hope somebody liked me.

If history were taught in the form of stories it would never be forgotten.

I would put our legislative and foreign policy accomplishments in our first two years against any president - with the possible exceptions of Johnson FDR and Lincoln - just in terms of what we've gotten done in modern history. But you know but when it comes to the economy we've got a lot more work to do. And we're gonna keep on at it.

If past history was all there was to the game the richest people would be librarians.

I wouldn't attach too much importance to these student riots. I remember when I was a student at the Sorbonne in Paris I used to go out and riot occasionally.

Could I have but a line a century hence crediting a contribution to the advance of peace I would yield every honor which has been accorded by war.

If one morning I walked on top of the water across the Potomac River the headline that afternoon would read: 'President Can't Swim.'

A world without nuclear weapons would be less stable and more dangerous for all of us.

We would like to live as we once lived but history will not permit it.

One positive command he gave us: You shall love and honor your emperor. In every congregation a prayer must be said for the czar's health or the chief of police would close the synagogue.

You can never turn the clock back and since we're talking about mental health I would stress that.

I think it's important that as a matter of course the brain and spinal column were removed from this cow and that would be the material that would cause concern in terms of human health. And therefore we're confident in the safety of the food supply.

But the fact of the matter is that all scientific evidence would show based upon what we know about this disease that muscle cuts - that is the meat of the animal itself - should not cause any risk to human health.

I never expected in a million years that I would have the honor to become an advocate of women's health care and education and I'd dive on a live grenade to get this message out so thank you for this forum.