Obama: I Have Never Been More Hopeful

President Obama called for unity and vowed to return to the White House more determined in his victory speech before thousands of delirious supporters in Chicago, reports the AP. "This country has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich," he said in the 20-minute speech. "We have the most powerful military in history, but that's not what makes us strong. Our universities, our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keep the world coming to our shore." It's "the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on Earth. The belief that our destiny is shared, that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another."

Obama congratulated Romney and praised his family's public service. "We may have battled fiercely, but it's only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future," he said. To Michelle, he said "I have never loved you more. I have never been prouder to watch the rest of America fall in love with you, too, as our nation's first lady." Tonight, "despite all the hardship we've been through, despite all the frustrations of Washington, I've never been more hopeful about our future," he said. "I have never been more hopeful about America. And I ask you to sustain that hope." Click here for the full text. (More President Obama stories.)