The President: After the sixth time,

I suspect that I'm a little more relaxed

and a little better at it than I was

the first time out.

But you never get completely used to it.

There's a certain pageantry to it.

Sergeant at Arms announces you, you're walking

down that aisle, and you're reminded of the incredible

privilege that you have in being the president.

And hopefully all the members of Congress who are there

are reminded that, you know, we get these positions

for a (inaudible) amount of time and we've got

to make the most of it when we have it.

Anybody who is a sports fan knows that you've got

to play the whole game and over the last six years

we have been weighed down by the legacy of the worst

financial crisis since the Great Depression.

And because of the incredible grit

and resilience of the American people,

America is now in position to really turn the page.

Last year was the best job growth we had seen

since the 1990s.

The unemployment rate has now dropped down to 5.6 %.

We've seen manufacturing come back; we have

cut our deficits.

Gas prices have dropped.

And so, we are well positioned for the future,

but the key is making the right choices.

And so, this State of the Union gives me an opportunity

to present to the American people, now that we have

fought our way through the crisis, how do we make sure

that everybody in this country -- how do we make

sure that they're sharing in this growing economy,

how do we make sure that they have the tools to succeed.

You know, if you think about what's already

happened just in the last month, in addition

to major initiatives surrounding immigration,

around Cuba, around climate change, when it comes

to dealing with bread and butter issues for

middle class families all across America.

We've put forward proposals for making

community college free, so that young people

can access the education they need.

We're working together with the private sector

to increase internet access for communities

that feel left out, to increase competition,

and to protect our privacy and our security.

That's just been the last month, so you know,

I think over the next two years we have

the opportunity to not simply continue the momentum

that was built last year, but to really capitalize

on some of the long term trends that make

America best position to take advantage

of the 21st century.