Barack Obama to give farewell State of the Union address

Washington: Barack Obama will give his final State of the Union address Tuesday, perhaps the last big opportunity of his presidency to sway a national audience and frame the 2016 election race.

Obama is promising an unorthodox speech that lifts the country`s gaze beyond the next year, and beyond his presidency.

"Traditionally, State of the Unions -- a president gets up and they give a long laundry list of things that they want to accomplish legislatively," Obama said in a preview message.

"I want to identify three or four big ideas, three or four big things that we have to focus on."

Aides say that America`s first black president will look to use a "singular" moment in the US political calendar to stoke optimism about the future, and perhaps help define his place in the history books.

The speech, in the works since the autumn, will mark achievements, from healthcare reform to gay rights to a nuclear deal with Iran to a pending trans-Pacific trade deal.

But it may also focus on generational challenges like tackling partisan politics, race, justice, rights and defining America`s role in the world.

"A lot of what we can do is to change the political environment and change people`s attitudes and start a process where change begins to happen," Obama said.

"It`s a relay race, and it`s important you get started."

Not for the first time during Obama`s seven years in the White House, he will lean heavily on his dazzling rhetorical skills to push forward his agenda.

Obama is unlikely to dwell on the 2016 election race for too long, but in embracing optimism, the White House hopes to draw a sharp contrast with Republicans.

Around 30 million viewers are expected to watch live, a nationwide audience that may only be matched in political terms during the Democratic nominating convention later this year.

Obama aides are trying to leverage the moment for all its worth, amplifying his message across social and digital media.

Amazon is planning to air the speech on demand, the White House has joined Snapchat for the occasion and will use Genius -- a program that started life as a font for rap lyrics -- to annotate Obama`s remarks.

Afterwards, Obama will travel to Nebraska and Louisiana to sell his message and be interviewed by three YouTube celebrities.

It is a high-risk strategy for Obama, who with just a year left in office could look cripplingly out of touch if he misjudges the nation`s mood.

Amid poisoned politics, terror threats and middle-class malaise, some 67 percent of Americans believe the country is going in the wrong direction, according to a recent Rasmussen poll.

While unemployment rates are low, the economy is growing and the tumult of the financial crisis has passed, wage growth is lackluster and the gap between rich and poor is cavernous.

"Workers don`t experience statistics, they feel market forces," wrote former George W. Bush aide Matt McDonald in a recent paper for Hamilton Place Strategies, a consultancy.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest acknowledged economic and security challenges, but said the willingness of Republicans "to exploit people`s fears and insecurities and anxieties has infected the political debate."

"The president`s reaction to that, though, is that he has never been more confident about our ability to confront successfully those challenges."

Obama has long thought of his presidency in such historic terms. But the broad sweep of his speech is also born of necessity.

He faces a hostile Republican Congress united only in its disdain for him and his agenda.

Republican criticism is likely to focus on Obama`s handling of foreign policy, in particular the rise of the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

"US engagement has for too long been defined by whether troops are deployed," said one senior White House official describing Obama`s intention to defend his foreign policy.

Republicans are unlikely to be convinced.

"While we`re not certainly expecting much new, there is one thing that we hope to hear from the President, and that is a comprehensive plan to defeat ISIS," said House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan.