Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: News

President Obama spoke on the war, economic issues, and alternative energy initiatives at the State of the Union Address on Jan. 27.

In an address dominated by the economic crisis, President Obama emphasized his faith in the American spirit:

"I have never been more hopeful about America's future than I am tonight… Our union is strong. We do not give up. We do not quit. We do not allow fear or division to break our spirit," he said.

He called for bipartisan cooperation, tax cuts, and American jobs as a means to expedite "serious financial reform."

Most of the President's proposed reforms were conventional, until he proposed freezing government spending for three years.

He went on to explain that certain government programs "related to our national security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will not be affected." He likened America to a "cash-strapped family" that would "work within a budget."

The President made many references to new bills and legislation ("a new jobs bill," "a comprehensive energy and climate bill," "a bill that will revitalize our community colleges").

He also restated plans for clean energy, coupled with green-initiatives and climate control.

The President proudly declared that America is no longer a bystander in the fight against climate change. He talked about clean energy and the potential for new industry and job creation. He advocated "safe, clean nuclear power plants… (and) new offshore areas for oil and gas development."

Bio-fuels and clean coal technology were also among the proposed developments.

When breaching the subject of the war in Iraq, the President was brief: "We will have all of our combat troops out of Iraq by the end of this August… this war is ending, and all of our troops are coming home."

He went on to extol the men and women serving in the military: "They have our respect, our gratitude, and our full support."

Towards the end of his speech Obama praised the "spirit of determination and optimism - that fundamental decency that has always been at the core of the American people." He commended "the Americans who've dropped everything to go (to Haiti and) pull people they've never known from rubble," prompting chants of "U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A!"

In his closing remarks, Obama displayed his talent as an orator by converting human altruism into the "spirit" of America, a spirit that somehow induces earthquake victims to chant "U.S.A."

But despite the soaring patriotism, the political jargon, the proposed bills and the proposed vetoes, President Obama did his job: he told America about the state of the union, expressed his hope for the future, and called for cooperation across party lines.

Perhaps his greatest request came when he asked, simply, "Let's try common sense."

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