Obama Delivers Last State of the Union Address

In his final State of the Union address, President Obama called on leaders to “fix our politics”, saying “one of the few regrets of my presidency…”

And to those who say the economy is just limping along, Obama countered: “Anyone claiming that America’s economy is in decline is peddling fiction”.

The remarks were a repudiation of criticism of his strategy against Islamic State, which Republicans have called insufficient.

“Masses of fighters on the back of pick-up trucks, twisted souls plotting in apartments or garages: they pose an enormous danger to civilians; they have to be stopped”.

Obama’s comments on the economy and national security are likely to be resisted by people having a tough time or feeling unsafe, Lipinski said. “That may work as a TV sound bite, but it doesn’t pass muster on the world stage”.

“Over-the-top claims that this is World War III just play into their hands”.

The speech was predominantly optimistic, as Obama spoke a lot about the future, focusing a large portion of his speech on the economy and defeating ISIS. “It’s just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world”.

When Trump did chime in on the speech, he was unimpressed, calling it “really boring, slow, lethargic”.

In a departure, several guests in first lady Michelle Obama’s box at the address did not represent policy proposals, but rather sought to “personify Obama’s time in office”.

But it risked being overshadowed by news that 10 US Navy personnel had been taken to an Iranian naval base in the Gulf.

The people who are invited to watch the annual speech are significant, said Lindsay Hoffman, an associate professor of political science at the University of DE, because they are an indication of the issues that the president thinks are important.

There was no mention of the racial tensions that have dogged the tenure of the first black president.

There was only a fleeting reference, and a symbolic empty seat in the chamber, to gun control and the bad toll of American gun violence.

In a statement, Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus said rather than signal a much-needed course correction, Obama took a “lonely victory lap before a country that is ready to turn the page”.

Obama admitted perhaps a president with the skills of Abraham Lincoln or Franklin D. Roosevelt could have bridged the divide, but said he will not give up during his last 12 months in office.

Obama recited what he said were his accomplishments improving the quality of life for Americans at home and boosting the United States’s standing around the globe.

“We are facing the most unsafe terrorist threat our nation has seen since September 11, and this president appears either unwilling or unable to deal with it”, said Governor Haley.

Haley is the daughter of Indian immigrants.

“During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices”, she said.

“The future we want – opportunity and security for our families, a rising standard of living and a sustainable, peaceful planet for our kids – all that is within our reach”, Obama said last night. But he seemed to be already thinking of what the place would look like without him and trying to balance confidence in his achievements (“Ask Osama bin Laden”, he said at one point) with acknowledgments that many Americans didn’t feel as good about the Obama era as he did.