If the people cannot trust their government to do the job for which it exists - to protect them and to promote their common welfare - all else is lost.

As president, I'm committed to making Washington work better and rebuilding the trust of the people who sent us here.

My first job is to say thank you to those who voted me. Those who didn't, I'm going to get your vote next time.

That is America. That is America. Those bonds of affection; that common creed. We don't fear the future; we shape it. We embrace it, as one people, stronger together than we are on our own.

In December, I agreed to extend the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans because it was the only way I could prevent a tax hike on middle-class Americans. But we cannot afford $1 trillion worth of tax cuts for every millionaire and billionaire in our society. We can't afford it. And I refuse to renew them again.

Al Qaeda is still a threat. We cannot pretend somehow that because Barack Hussein Obama got elected as president, suddenly everything is going to be OK.