President Barack Obama will deliver his fourth State of the Union address Tuesday night at 9 p.m. ET. Here's a look back at Obama's past three addresses:
In March 2009, Obama delivered his first State of the Union amid an economic catastrophe. He called for increased financial regulation, more investments in health care, energy and education. "Tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before," he said.
In 2010, with the White House and the Democratic Party reeling from the surprise loss of the Massachusetts Senate seat to Scott Brown - which threw the chance of passing health care reform in doubt -- Obama declared "I don't quit" but acknowledged that "change has not come fast enough." During the speech, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito shook his head in disagreement when Obama assailed the Citizens United decision on campaign finance.
The 2011 State of the Union address was sobered by the assassination attempt on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) just weeks before. (Giffords has since resigned.) "We will move forward together or not at all," said Obama. He advocated for investments in education, technology and transportation while calling for deficit reduction. "We do big things," closed Obama. "The idea of America endures."
The Huffington Post's Jen Bendery previewed his 2012 address:
On the policy front, job creation and the economy will dominate the speech. Housing and college affordability will be central themes, again tied into the overall message of fairness, according to sources familiar with the speech. National security, as is always the case with the State of the Union, will also be a key component.