“What they [Jim deMint and the oil lobby] do care about is the precedent. If they open up ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), they’ll think they can do anything to the environment – anything at all. Drilling in Yosemite? In the Grand Canyon? What’s next?”

I’m not leaving the fight just because I decided not to run. I’m going to expand my political action committee and volunteer for it. I’m going to do lots of other things where I will have a voice. So I’m not leaving the fight.

In America, the system itself of democracy is being threatened.

I was a stock broker once. I think there is an absolute place for market investments. But they should never be the basis of one’s retirement. They should be an additional piece on top of a basic, secure, guaranteed retirement benefit.

The difference between the very wealthy and the working poor has grown. We raise that minimum wage and we move forward with the vision of this president that we have, which is everyone pays their fair share.

Our message will be that we’re going to make federal government buildings a model – an energy-efficient model – and also start matching grants for cities and counties so that they can also do the same with their government buildings.

Let me tell you, life is interesting regardless of when you are in the fight.

I don’t know how long I’m going to live, but I hope my seeds are pretty good.

I’ve been there for so many crossroads in American history. My whole political life spans the birth of the environmental movement, the women’s movement, the civil rights movement, putting an end to unjust wars, and so and so.

I have to say that after chemotherapy, Barbara Boxer just isn’t that scary anymore.

Iraq was a war of choice, not necessity.

I think America should amass a strategy for success, and set out the milestones. We need to help the Iraqis get their democracy up and running, we’ve got to help them train their military and police and security people, and we’ve got to start moving out.

If something is opinion, put it in the opinion section: Don’t put it in the facts section.

I’ve faced the grief, I’ve faced the anger, and I’m ready to keep up the fight because America is worth fighting for.

Just look at the Judiciary Committee, You have some people on the Judiciary Committee who may well decide not to send the nomination to the floor, and now it all depends on what Democrats do.

I must be doing something right. I was raised to stand up to the bully in the schoolyard, and you don’t lose that.

If you dared to put your opinion into a factual piece, your editors said, “You can’t do this. Write an op-ed.”