Today President Obama gave his annual Cheerleader Motivational Clapfest State of The Union address with a Reaganesque mantra (also a Bush Mantra): Stay the course. The President delivered a passionate and ambitious speech covering all major issues and touching on smaller ones. He managed to convey a strong message that his agenda will not be deterred even if recent events (Massachusetts Senate race) suggest derailment. Highlights of the speech included several shots to both parties and a firm tushy smack to Republicans. "To Democrats," Obama said, "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." I love nothing more than seeing a President telling his own party to grow a pair.

Follow up:

President Obama made several promises including greater transparency of earmarks to be posted online, strict limits on lobbyists, the use of Executive Order to create a bipartisan budget deficit panel (since it failed to make it through the Senate), and that Health Care reform although delayed, will proceed. The president also called to attention the unwavering Republican stall tactics of just saying NO to everything. He pleaded with them to consider their constituents rather than their own political ambitions by saying,  "And 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 -- a supermajority -- 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. We were sent here to serve our citizens, not our ambitions. So let's show the American people that we can do it together." President Obama closed by quoting legendary rapper Master P by saying:

" I won't stop now, bitch, I can't stop. You can't stop me, so bitch don't try. We TRU soldiers, we don't die. We keep rollin, na-nah-nah-nah-nah!"

Okay, maybe those weren't his exact words but you get the overall message he intended. He won't stop, He wont quit. Ultimately, it will take more than a moving speech for Obama to rally the country, and more importantly the Senate, for cooperation to push forward the agenda of what the country voted for, change.