President Barack Obama had a tough first year in office, a fact he candidly admitted in his first State of the Union address on Wednesday. He pointedly and forcefully added, though, that he'll learn from the experience, that he is committed to shoring up public confidence in his administration, that he will focus closely on the economy and jobs in coming months, and that he refuses to abandon the ambitious legislative agenda that arguably propelled him into office. It was an usually frank speech, but one that confirms his ability to lead the nation at an especially difficult time in its history.
The speech should find resonance with fair-minded Americans on both sides of the political divide. It was a heartfelt admission of problems as well as a call to action. Mr. Obama said that some of his political setbacks in recent months "were deserved" -- a brave admission for a sitting president. He pledged to do better. Indeed, his commitment to make job creation his "number one focus in 2010" and his call for Congress to pass a jobs bill to spur investment should convince Americans that he is serious about rebuilding a struggling economy.
Those concerned that an emphasis on jobs and the economy will mean an end to the ambitious legislative agenda Mr. Obama brought to Washington -- health care, energy and climate change, economic reform, transparency in government -- will be compromised need not worry. It remains viable.
"We don't quit. I don't quit," he told Congress, assembled government officials and a primetime TV audience. "Let's seize this moment -- to start anew, to carry the dream forward and to straighten our union once more."
Mr. Obama shouldered some of the responsibility for the nation's economic distress, but properly pointed out that much of it is not of his making. He noted -- correctly -- that most of it was inherited from Republican President George W. Bush. That's a fact conveniently overlooked by vocal GOP legislators who delight in publicly bashing the president for huge deficits, and who unfairly look past his substantial achievements in righting the economy after the financial meltdown and recession that Mr. Bush left to him to correct.
That's an example of the partisanship -- in both parties -- that Mr. Obama decried as the bane of good government. His remedy for that is straightforward, though the prescription surely will rankle both Republicans and Democrats.
It is time, he said, to end the "tired old battles" that divide the country. "To Democrats, I would remind you that we still have the largest majority in decades, and the people expect us to solve some problems, not run for the hills."
And in a nod to Republicans' persistent use of the filibuster to thwart every meaningful Democratic initiative, the president said that "if the Republican leadership is going to insist that 60 votes in the Senate are required to do any business at all in this town, then the responsibility to govern is now yours as well. Just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it's not leadership." How true.
Mr. Obama's primary focus was on jobs, the economy and the administration's long-term legislative agenda, but it was not limited to those topics. The president presented new initiatives, including plans to give small businesses tax breaks and improved access to bank loans; to give new tax credits for child care; and to establish a cap on student loan payments for recent graduates.
He vowed to work with Congress to repeal the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that bars openly gay women and women from service. He urged reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind education legislation. All deserve prominent place on the upcoming legislative agenda.
Mr. Obama's address -- interrupted by applause at least 80 times by one unofficial tally -- offered a candid picture of a nation under duress but balanced by a useful blueprint for the future. The president concluded that "the state of our union is strong." That's a fair assessment given the emerging recovery from the past year's economic turmoil and recession. It offered reassurance, hope and political reality even as it reaffirmed Mr. Obama's ability to lead.