WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is predicting better days ahead for the U.S.

During the GOP's weekly radio address, the Kentucky lawmaker said the U.S. will ultimately overcome the daunting problems of war, recession and double-digit unemployment.

He says the nation's leaders will unite for the common good despite sometimes sharp political disagreements that are the hallmark of a vibrant democracy.

And with 2010 barely a day old, McConnell says "The new year always brings with it renewed hope and a spirit of optimism," qualities, he says, "that have exemplified our nation and its people from the very start."