He
did a great job at projecting a message of choosing hope over fear –
and he did it with a serious and somber tone. People were screaming and
chanting and rejoicing in the moment; however, Pres. Obama talked about
the "gathering storms" and the need for us as a nation to pull together
and do our part.

There was passion in his serious tone when he
spoke to the nations of the world by announcing that "We reject as
false the choice between our safety and our ideals" and "…we are
ready to lead once more." His message seems clear enough: that we as a
nation will not bully you around to get you to come to the table and
talk rationally.

There was a healthy dose of history grounded in
the speech where rhetoric is almost expected – the part where every
true blooded American uses examples of sacrifices our forefathers made
to create this union, these United States. It was the part of the
speech that soared above the rest, because for a moment, you forgot
about our nation's troubles and felt proud to be an American.

Overall,
it was a very sensible and responsible speech. President Obama laid the
groundwork for the harder times ahead for this nation and its people,
but with a steady look to the past and a keen sense of where we need to
go as a nation, there is hope, there is reason to be proud, there is a
new birth of freedom and it sounds a wonderful change.