|
 Obama, delivering his last annual State of the Union speech to
Congress as president, called for leaders to "fix" U.S. politics and
criticized candidates such as Trump for using anti-Muslim rhetoric
that betrayed American values.
"When politicians insult Muslims ... that doesn’t make us safer," he
said, drawing applause from the crowd in the House of
Representatives chamber. "It’s just wrong. It diminishes us in the
eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals."
Trump, whom Obama did not mention by name in his speech, is leading
the Republican field ahead of the Nov. 8 election to pick the next
president.
The billionaire businessman, citing national security concerns, has
called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States and
a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico to stop the flow of illegal
immigrants, ideas the White House strongly opposes.
Obama sought to contrast his more optimistic view of America's
future with those of the Republican candidates trying to replace
him.
 He said it was "fiction" to describe the country as being in
economic decline. While acknowledging that al Qaeda and Islamic
State posed a direct threat to Americans, he said comparing the
effort to defeat the militants who control swaths of Iraq and Syria
to World War Three gave the group just what it wanted.
"Masses of fighters on the back of pickup trucks, twisted souls
plotting in apartments or garages: they pose an enormous danger to
civilians; they have to be stopped. But they do not threaten our
national existence," Obama said.
Republicans say the president's strategy to defeat Islamic State is
flawed and insufficient.
"His policies aren’t working. He didn't have an answer for how to
defeat ISIS," Republican House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan
said in a statement after the speech, using an acronym for Islamic
State.
Obama's address to lawmakers, Cabinet members and Supreme Court
justices was one of his last remaining chances to capture the
attention of millions of Americans before the November election. The
next president will take office in January 2017.
Trump, in a posting on Twitter, called the speech "boring" and
lacking in substance. "New leadership fast!"
But South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who delivered the
Republican response to Obama’s address, took her own jab at Trump
and other less moderate candidates in her party.
“During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call
of the angriest voices. We must resist that temptation," said Haley,
the daughter of Indian immigrants. "No one who is willing to work
hard, abide by our laws, and love our traditions should ever feel
unwelcome in this country," she said.
Obama's address came as 10 sailors aboard two U.S. Navy boats were
taken into Iranian custody. Iran told the United States the crew
members would be "promptly" returned, U.S. officials said. The event
gave Republicans further fodder to criticize Obama's nuclear deal
with Tehran.
Obama did not address the issue in his speech. The White House
expects the situation to be resolved quickly.
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LEGACY, REGRET
Obama, who is constitutionally barred from a third term, stuck to
themes he hopes will define his legacy, including last year's
nuclear pact with Tehran.
He noted areas where compromise was possible with Republicans in
Congress including criminal justice reform, trade and poverty
reduction.
He called for lawmakers to ratify a Pacific trade pact, advance
tighter gun laws and lift an embargo on Cuba.
The president also said he regretted not having been able to elevate
U.S. political discourse during his time in office.
"It’s one of the few regrets of my presidency - that the rancor and
suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better,"
he said.
To help "fix" U.S. politics, Obama pressed for an end to
"gerrymandering," the practice of drawing voting districts in ways
that gives advantage to a particular party; reducing the influence
of "dark money" or political spending in which funding sources do
not have to be disclosed; and making voting easier.
Obama also said he had tasked Vice President Joe Biden, whose son
died last year of cancer, to lead an effort to find a cure for the
disease.
The president noted some outstanding promises from his own 2008
campaign. He pledged to continue to work to close the U.S. prison at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and called on Congress to lift the embargo on
the Communist-ruled island nation.
Obama, whose 2008 victory was driven partially by his opposition to
the Iraq war, said the United States could not serve as policeman of
the world.
"We also can’t try to take over and rebuild every country that falls
into crisis, even if it's done with the best of intentions," he
said. "It’s the lesson of Vietnam; it's the lesson of Iraq; and we
should have learned it by now."
Obama is eager for a Democrat to win the White House to preserve his
legacy, but anger over his policies and fears about security threats
have helped push non-traditional candidates to the fore in the
Republican and, to a lesser extent, the Democratic races to succeed
him.
Trump and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas are at the top of the Republican
field, while self-described "socialist" Bernie Sanders, a U.S.
senator from Vermont, is giving former Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton tough competition in early voting states for the Democratic
primary contest.
(Additional reporting by Richard Cowan, Julia Edwards, Ayesha Rascoe
and David Lawder; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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