President Obama’s 2012 State of the Union speech could easily have been billed as his rebuttal to the beating he has been taking over the last two months from his would-be Republican challengers on the campaign trail and during their numerous debates.

Obama’s State of The Union speech was his attempt to bring back to the national stage the Obama of 2008 that brimmed with optimism and hope. He showed the nation the side of him that was the campaigner who won so many hearts, minds, and votes by speaking about hope, fairness, and the fact (from his perspective) that he was best suited to meet the challenges that lay ahead of us.