On Wednesday, President Obama gave his first official State Of The Union address. Obama's first year since coming into office has not been what progressives, and many moderates, would have hoped. He still has many of his major initiatives, such as health care reform and cap and trade, on life support. To forge ahead with his agenda, Obama needed to hit the reset button in this speech.

His first focus was jobs, and he managed to frame many of his issues, including education and climate change, around this topic. He also called for a new "jobs" bill, one of the few nuggets of actual news. Obama even ceded ground to Republicans while boasting about how his administration has cut taxes on millions of Americans, which led to one of the more awkward moments of the night when Republicans failed to applaud for tax cuts. Obama seemed genuinely disappointed, saying "I thought I would get some applause for that one." But this is the Republican party in Obama's America. Although they have been preaching from the gospel of tax cuts for generations, if Obama did it, it must be BAD!

He called, again, for health care reform, saying it was needed to ease the burden on American families. "I took on health care because of the stories I've heard," said Obama. He listed the failings of the insurance industry, even for those who can afford it. He claimed health care reform as a fiscally conservative issue, saying that the bill would cut the deficit by a trillion dollars, and forecasted what would continue under the current system, saying" I will not walk away from these Americans, and neither should this chamber."

The biggest news to come from the address is the proposed budget freeze. This is also a gift to Republicans, as a budget freeze was part of John McCain's platform in '08. The freeze would take place in '11 and last three years, until after the next presidential election. Obviously a political calculation, but a good one at that. If Obama can address the deficit in his first year by convincing voters that it saved the country from falling off a cliff, then this move will help paint him as fiscally conservative, which is not only politically popular, but also responsible in a time when the country has trillions of dollars in debt.

Finally, Obama tried to relaunch his presidency with the same kind of straight talk that got him the job. Thankfully, he did this with his progressive bona fides, "Let's invest in our people with out leaving them a mountain of debt. Let's met our responsibility to the citizens who sent us hear. Let's try common sense! We face a deficit of trust."

Obama ended on national security. He talked about how we are building up the Afghanistan army so that they can defend themselves from Islamic extremist, and about getting all combat troops out of Iraq this summer. He mentioned the US military mission in Haiti, and how it's this America that the world needs. He promised to strengthen the military by allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly.

Obama's biggest political gift has always been his ability to communicate, but in the last year, he has utilized this skill all too rarely. Hopefully, this address will mark the start of a new administration. On one hand, it has too. With the "super-majority" in the Senate gone, he will no doubt have to scale back his goals. If, however, he can clearly explain those goals to the American people like he did yesterday, than congress will have no choice but to follow. This is the leadership that we elected him for.