It’s rare for a president to conclude a State of the Union address with a long passage noting that his presidency “hasn’t delivered” on one of its central promises. President Obama did just that in January. He noted that in 2004, he had given a speech — one that brought him to national prominence — saying that “there wasn’t a liberal America or a conservative America . . . but a United States of America.” He had also said in his first presidential campaign that he wanted to “change the tone in Washington” for the better.
Nobody thinks that has happened. Obama, in the address, did not suggest that the explanation had anything to do with his own behavior over the last six years, although he did allow that he had “many” flaws. Nor did he suggest that it was foolish to promise to bring people together: His conclusion was offered as a challenge to “such cynicism.”
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