Did he actually say this? Is there a transcript on the NBC website?
I can't say it's a verbatim transcipt, but be assured that it's a fair account of his remarks. And he definitely used the phrase about growing up in "the bright light of America." I recall that specifically because it seemed a bit off kilter. Normally of course to say that you are in the "bright light" is akin to saying you are in the spotlight, or under the microscope, which is not of course what he meant. Instead, it was a clunky way of reaching for a "sunny morning in America" metaphor.