President Obama's valedictory SOTU speech

President Obama gave his final State of the Union speech Tuesday night, and I am writing this just moments after it ended.    I was very moved and filled with admiration for him and what he has accomplished, despite the most determined opposition any modern president has ever faced from congress.

He departed from the usual format of a laundry list of proposals, instead offering a quick valedictory summation of successes -- and, yes, failures.   But he devoted most his time to a visionary statement -- the other bookend, if you will, to his visionary acceptance speech in November 2008.    It was his vision, not just for the coming year, but "for the next five years, ten years, and beyond" -- about renewing who we are as Americans, calling us to be our better selves as citizens and as a self-governed people.

In the cynicism of this political season, he called us to return to the ideals that have made this country great.   But it wasn't just lofty rhetoric;  he spoke in practical terms and plain truths about how we need to change our political system.  He countered the false picture we're hearing from some of the presidential candidates by offering facts to counter the picture of America as weak and failing in world leadership, in the economy, in military strength, and in progress here at home.

In style, it was more conversational than oratorical.  It was an honest speech that didn't shy from pointedly calling out problems and, without naming names, rebutting those who play politics with truth and who deny reality.   Here was one of my favorites:

Look, if anybody still wants to dispute the science around climate change, have at it. You'll be pretty lonely, because you'll be debating our military, most of America's business leaders, the majority of the American people, almost the entire scientific community, and 200 nations around the world who agree it's a problem and intend to solve it.

Rather than try to summarize or even pick out other choice quotes, which I may do later, what I will suggest to anyone who did not hear the speech is to go to a transcript and read it for yourself or, better, find a video link and watch.    Here is the transcript link:    http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/12/politics/state-of-the-union-2016-transcript-full-text/index.html

Ralph