State of the President: 'Tough, Undaunted'

It wasn't quite "No More Mr. Nice Obama," but America did see a tougher President Obama than usual in last night's speech, writes Tom Shales. The president was "breathing fire" before the House and Senate members, acknowledging mistakes and disappointments over the last year, but refusing to "whimper or express regret," Shales notes in the Washington Post.

Obama was deadly serious on the issues that vex him, but added a healthy dose of self-mockery, saying: "It should be fairly obvious that I didn't take on health care because it was good politics." He told the audience that Americans—and himself—"don't quit" in the speech's stirring conclusion. "As a persuasive political speaker, he's got no serious competition," Shales concludes.
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