The sentiments in Hawaii about Washington's failure of leadership are no different than the rest of the country.

I know I can serve Hawaii and our country well in the U.S. Senate, know we can mount a solid statewide campaign, know we have a good chance of prevailing.

I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii.

This is the classic confrontation you see in Washington ... because the president now has been challenged directly by the leadership of the Congress and by the lobbyists and by the bureaucracy, ... American Morning.

We've had a leadership vacuum for four years in Washington, D.C., that has basically been blown about by the winds of public opinion polls and focus groups as opposed to relying upon a standard and principle ... that define the Republican party. That has been the reason we've had conflict within our own conference.

Because there is a vacuum of leadership from Washington, the governors on a bipartisan basis have really stepped up to the plate when it comes to global warming.