President Obama's First State of the Union

President Obama gave his first speech to a joint session of Congress tonight. Although we usually call this a State of the Union speech, tonight's wasn't because historically, presidents don't give a State of the Union just weeks after they are inaugurated.

The speech was simply masterful. It was inspiring, yet it also took us to task for the responsibility we each have for the mess we're in. He didn't simply blame the Republicans, which would have been the easy way out and certainly would have had quite a bit of truth to it. Five stars.

Watch the speech below or read the full text here. If you watch it below, click play and be prepared to sit in silence for the first 3 minutes. But you'll love it. We clearly have an adult in the White House.




After President Obama's speech, Louisana Governor Bobby Jindal (R) gave the Republican Response. All I can say is that I'm simply confused. He actually invoked Hurricane Katrina as an example of GOP success. Really. I didn't recognize much of what he was talking about as beliefs of the Republican Party - energy independence, for example. If Jindal is the future of the GOP, then based on tonight's speech, I believe that the Democrats will be in power for many years to come.