Some hailed the President’s speech, emphasising Obama’s ability to beat all the challenges laid before him regarding the economy and the nation’s security; however, there were also others who despised his address, saying that everything was just plain rhetoric.

Mark Edwards, chairman of Nash County’s Republican Party, said Barack’s first year as president only amplified the mistrust of the public towards the government, though he admitted that he was satisfied with the President’s promise to reduce the deficit.

“I don’t think the speech means a whole lot”.

“Unfortunately, it marks the end of a sad year for a president who came into office with high expectations but failed to accomplish much”, said Edwards.

The President’s speech focused mostly on issues such as unemployment and budgetary concerns. Nevertheless, the issue of the health care overhaul was also stressed by Obama during his speech. Congress was also commissioned to do their tasks in finding common ground on issues such as fiscal reform, education and policies on clean energy.

Other than the aforementioned issues, Obama also introduced several new plans such as tax cuts for students and budget slashes on local projects, among others.

Though the President has a number of detractors, there are still those who have faith that he will be able to resolve the different issues in the country.

Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia said that the Republicans are willing to support the President if he agrees to send more troops. “Obviously, there are many of us who feel that delay does signal uncertainty to the region,” Cantor said. “If the president chooses to go a different route, you know, it is obviously going to be tough for us,” he added.

Democrats and Republicans will be supporting whatever Obama’s decision is in the end according to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada.

A top House Democrat meanwhile, has informed Obama that escalating the war may result to the US remaining in Afghanistan for another 20 years. The chairman of the House Appropriations Committee Rep. David Obey also believes that the US may spend $1 trillion in Afghanistan. But the President said that backing off of Afghanistan is not an option.

California Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that Obama has a tough decision to make. “Whether we agree with it or vote for it remains to be seen when we see what the president puts forth,” she said.

But Sen. John McCain wants a swift decision from the President. “It’s pretty clear that time is not on our side,” the Senator said. “We need to act with deliberate haste.”

Obama will consult with Congress regarding his decision according to White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

“The president has [heard] and wants to hear from all of those that are involved in decisions about protecting our homeland, keeping our country safe, as well as the deployment of our men and women in uniform,” Gibbs said. “Obviously, Congress plays an important and significant role in that, and this is part of talking to them about this process.”

According to Obama, Wilson asked for unequivocally sought for forgiveness and that the congressman claimed his shout-out was just spontaneous.

A day after Wilson surprised the president with his outburst, Obama told reporters that people make mistakes.

The Democrats have considered sanctioning Wilson, but early Thursday they decided that doing so may distract lawmakers in reaching an agreement to overhaul the country’s health care programme.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that it is time for them to discuss the health insurance and not Wilson.

The health care bill’s House version clearly prohibited the expenditure of federal money to aid illegal immigrants in getting health care coverage.

At the chamber, an angry and stunned Pelosi chose not to gavel down the congressman on the spot. She said Obama was correct to continue his speech and not give attention to Wilson’s comment.

At the suggestion of senior Republicans, Wilson called the White House to apologise and spoke with Rahm Emanuel, the White House Chief of Staff. Wilson agreed to pursue a civil conversation about health care with the White House.

Democrats and Republicans alike have condemned Wilson’s act.

When Obama finished his speech, Wilson immediately left the chamber and afterwards issued an apology. He then phoned the White House to apologise to Obama personally. However, he ended up speaking with Mr. Emanuel instead.

According to the annual project of the German Marshall Fund (GMF), the Transatlantic Trends survey, 77% of its respondents in Turkey and the European Union approve of the president conducts foreign policy as compared to his predecessor, George Bush, during the final year of his presidency.

GMF President Craig Kennedy says they see a remarkable move in transatlantic opinion from the former administration.

The survey indicates that despite Obama’s popularity, he has failed to eliminate negative European views regarding the war in Afghanistan.

Only 56% of the Turkish and EU respondents are optimistic regarding the prospects for stabilising Afghanistan’s situation as compared to the 62% respondents who are pessimistic. At 75%, the most pessimistic Europeans are the Germans.

Though Europeans are willing to increase their nation’s contributions to the economic reconstruction of Afghanistan, most respondents refuse to send more troops there.

Sixty-nine percent in Eastern Europe and 55% in Western Europe want either a reduction or complete withdrawal in troop numbers.

If efforts to prevent Tehran from gaining nuclear weapons fail, around 48% of the respondents are prepared to increase pressure on Iran, though preferring diplomacy over force.

Meanwhile, 40% of Americans favoured maintaining the option to use military force and to increase diplomatic pressure.

The parents are requesting the school administrators to excuse their children from listening to his speech.

President Obama intends to encourage students to stay in school and work hard. The commotion over his speech has been acute in Texas, in which major school districts have allowed children a choice of not listening to his speech.

The parents are worried since the speech may have not been checked for political content and they claim that the local school boards and State Board of Education did not review it yet.

Brett Curtiss, who works as an engineer, says he will keep his children home. He states he does not want the schools to be turned over to the socialist movement.

The speech, according to the White House, will emphasise the significance of hard work and education in school to the nation, as well as to the individual. Officials say the message is not compulsory or partisan.

The spokeswoman for the Department of Education, Sandra Abrevaya, states that Obama’s speech is not a policy speech. It is intended to urge kids to be in school.

As talk show hosts and Web sites started complaining against Obama’s speech, the rage among conservatives reached extreme excitement.

The Canadian political commentator and author, Mark Steyn, also accuses President Obama of attempting to make a cult of personality. He compares the president to the leaders, Kim Jong-il and Saddam Hussein.

President Obama’s speech, which will be held at a school in Virginia, will be aired live on the Web site of the White House.