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Obama Stresses Jobs, Economic Reforms In His First State Of The Union

Laura Colarusso | January 27, 2010, 10:39PM

President Barack Obama struck a somber tone in his inaugural State of the Union address tonight and called for Democrats and Republicans to work together to start addressing the very real problems that America is facing.

In a wide ranging speech that covered everything from terrorism to bank bailouts to the environment, Obama began with historical references to D-Day, the 1929 stock market crash and the fight for civil rights. But he quickly moved to bashing the highly unpopular bank bailout, saying it's the one thing that can unify people from all political stripes.

"I hated it. You hated it. It was about as popular as a root canal," he said to applause. He defended the bailout, saying it was necessary to shore up the banks lest our entire economy grind to a screeching halt.

Much of the speech highlighted the dismal economy. The president highlighted the concerns of Americans who are out of work, underemployed or lack insurance.

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