Lisa Murkowski

You shouldn't say, 'Well, we cannot go there,' before we even had the conversation.

I am not one of those who wants Obama to fail. If he does well, that means the country's doing well.

Like the majority of Alaskans, I supported a constitutional amendment in 1998 defining marriage as only between a man and a woman, but my thinking has evolved as America has witnessed a clear cultural shift.

I believe that, as Americans, our freedoms come from God and not government, and include the rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

What could be more important to the pursuit of happiness than the right to choose your spouse without asking a Washington politician for permission?

It doesn't make sense to argue about how much global warming is caused by man - whether it's 5 percent or 50 percent.

The thought of losing Ted Stevens, a man who was known to business and community leaders, Native chiefs and everyday Alaskans as Uncle Ted, is too difficult to fathom. He truly was the greatest of the Greatest Generation.

If there is one belief that unifies most Alaskans - our true north - it is less government and more freedom. We don't want the government in our pockets or our bedrooms; we certainly don't need it in our families.

When you think about the children, one of the things that I'm quite concerned about - and I've heard it expressed by others - is trying to find how we can build better accountability, work to provide a level of education that prepares our children for the future.

People think that every day we pass monumental legislation. Oftentimes, the most important thing that you have done that day is help a family with a visa.

I look at what we have - our traditional natural resource base - as helping move us to that cleaner, more diverse energy supply.

The more traditional fuel sources we have relied on as a nation - coal, oil, and natural gas - I'm hoping they can allow us the financial springboard to move to the next generation of energy sources: renewables and alternatives.