Obama stresses bipartisan cooperation as key

President Barack Obama stressed his commitment to building the American economy and called on Democrats and Republicans to work together to increase the nation's competitiveness around the world during his annual State of the Union address.

Speaking for the first time to a divided Congress, Obama called for "a shared responsibility between parties" drawn from both a House of Representatives now controlled by the GOP, but also in the wake of the Jan. 8 Tucson shootings that killed six and gravely injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).

"At stake is whether new jobs and industries take root in this country, or somewhere else," he said. "It's whether the hard work and industry of our people is rewarded. It's whether we sustain the leadership that has made America not just a place on a map, but a light to the world. We are poised for progress. Two years after the worst recession most of us have ever known, the stock market has come roaring back. Corporate profits are up. The economy is growing again."

To that theme, Obama described an optimistic, ambitious vision of the nation and its people while addressing Republican concerns about deficit spending.

"We know what it takes to compete for the jobs and industries of our time," he said. "We need to out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world. We have to make America the best place on Earth to do business. We need to take responsibility for our deficit, and reform our government. That's how our people will prosper."

Obama, who rose to national prominence and won election on a platform of bipartisanship, sought to capitalize on a new spirit of cooperation since the November elections. During the lame duck session, his administration worked with congressional Republicans to pass a tax cut, the Zadroga 9/11 health care law and end the so-called "don't ask, don't tell" policy in the military.

Indeed, while he touted the ability for gays and lesbians to serve freely in the military, Obama also called on universities to end their prohibition against military recruiters and ROTC, which have been banned from some campuses in protest of "don't ask, don't tell."

And while Obama noted the chair left empty for Giffords, he made no mention of any new gun-control proposals in the speech. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola) had lobbied the White House to mention her proposal to ban high-capacity magazine clips like the one used in the Tucson shootings.

He also did not make any reference to climate change, an issue that deeply divides Congress along partisan lines. Obama's top energy adviser, Carol Browner, announced Monday that she is leaving the administration.

Obama also pledged to veto a spending bill that contains congressional earmarks and call for eliminating tax breaks for the richest Americans, which he extended for two years during the lame session last month.

"If we truly care about our deficit, we simply cannot afford a permanent extension of the tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans," he said. "Before we take money away from our schools, or scholarships away from our students, we should ask millionaires to give up their tax break."

Many members of Congress, along with Vice President Joe Biden, wore black and white lapel ribbons to commemorate Giffords and others shot in Tucson Jan. 8. After Obama called for political civility following the shootings, Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) launched a campaign for members of Congress to sit with a member of the other party during the State of the Union address. Traditionally, Republicans sit on the right side of the chamber, and Democrats on the left.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) sat with Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) sat with Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.). Among the Long Island congressional delegation, Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) sat with Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills), with whom he had a screaming match on the House floor last year,; Rep. Tim Bishop (D-Southampton) sat with Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.); and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola) sat with Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.). Rep. Steve Israel (D-Dix Hills) was part of an escort committee that accompanies the president in and out of the House chamber before taking his place in bipartisan seating.