Tonight is the big night. State of the Union addresses are always wonderful to watch. It is as close as we get to the pomp and ceremony of the British system. Both houses of Congress crowded into a small space and a very serious person shouts out the arrival of the cabinet, and Supreme Court members. Each individual procession is greeted with respectful applause by all, but the intensity of it is different on the different sides of the aisles. The announcement that the President of the United States has arrived is the climax as he works his way up the aisle toward that special podium where few very people in the history of our Republic have ever stood. The plan has been in place for years and it has it special American majesty about it.

This year is an important one for President Barack Obama since he is a bit on the ropes in the ever lasting political battles. Not only does he have to restore the faith of the people of the nation in his ability to be a strong and decisive leader, he must restore enthusiasm to many of his most ardent supporters from the last election. Unlike Roosevelt, Truman or Johnson, he does not return to the podium with a large list of accomplishments and his centerpiece of health care is in critical condition. Americans are out of work and he fights two wars. Our resources are stretched thin and there is a major civil rights struggle underway. Many of these were indeed inherited from another presidency but as history has proven, these are his problems now and his to solve.

The President has a very difficult task. It might even be a defining moment for him. If he goes too far right in a miscalculated attempt to appease his opposition, he might never recover his core supporters. Yet, he is indeed president of all Americans and he has to find that very fine line that he can't cross. One thing is for sure, my guess is neither the President nor his supporters expected him to be in this perilous political position when he took his oath of office on that unforgettable day last January. The year has been a long one for him and if you doubt it, check out his increasing gray hair. No matter how you feel about his policies, you can never doubt his commitment to do right and the burdens of office that weighs on any President.

So tune in, watch our beautiful democracy at work. Listen carefully to our President. Most of all in these special moments, rich with tradition, be proud to be an American.