US President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address focused primarily on his economic and social programs in a tone that laid the ground for bipartisanship on many of the issues — but definitely not all. It was noticeable that the speaker of the House, John Boehner, clapped many times, signaling a possibility that confrontation on certain issues would be much milder than in the past two years.
President Obama addressed few foreign-policy issues, announcing the decisions to bring back half of the troops stationed in Afghanistan and partner with the EU on trade and economic issues, and denounced Iran’s nuclear policies in strong terms.
