"The fight is always the same within the Democratic Party, isn't it? The more things change, the more they stay the same."

"My job is to be a spokesman - the spokesman, I suppose - for the President, for the White House, to do the daily briefings, to manage the press corps in terms of travel, day-to-day needs, access, interviews, all those issues."

"Palin was a political Hail Mary, a long bomb in the closing minutes of a game that John McCain and Co. were certain to lose. They didn't care if she had the policy or political or emotional capacity to serve as vice president, let alone president. They were willing to drive the country off a cliff, if that's what it took to win."

"Obama seemed poised to realign American politics after his stunning 2008 victory. But the economy remains worse than even the administration's worst-case scenarios, and the long legislative battles over health care reform, financial services reform and the national debt and deficit have taken their toll. Obama no longer looks invincible."

"Growing up in an Italian family, you use a harsh tone and 10 minutes later everybody forgets about it."

"In my family, we were Americans, we were Republicans and we were Methodists."

"I know some people say it's not the best to work with your family, but I have never understood that because it's always worked so well for me."

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."