article_snippet: (CNN)I like to think I'm a pretty optimistic person.
article_snippet: Even at dark moments for this country -- after 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina, for example -- my tendency is always to scout out the sliver of hope for future progress.
article_snippet: But I've got to be honest with Donna Brazile, sometimes that optimism only goes so far.
article_snippet: I'm focused on the future.
article_snippet: Today, I'm optimistic that if change can come to Alabama, there is no reason why it can't come to all 50 states.