Biden Confronts Russia, Inflation In First State Of The Union Address

BOSTON (CBS) - Confronted with rock-bottom job-approval numbers, President Biden needed to address widespread doubts about his leadership in his first State of the Union Address. And in a relatively fast-paced speech that clocked in at less than an hour, he sought to do so by confronting the overriding issues of war, COVID-19 and the economy head-on.

"He thought he could roll into Ukraine and the world would roll over," Biden said of Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Instead, he met a wall of strength he never imagined. He met the Ukrainian people."

But for all his tough talk toward Putin, announcing new sanctions and aid to Ukraine, the president's key audience Tuesday night was domestic, not foreign.

"I want you to know we're going to be OK," he said, reassurance that came with a long list of plans – to fight cancer and crime, the social-service spending of his Build Back Better agenda (derided by Republicans as wasteful socialism), and a plan to correct the COVID testing stumble of this winter by authorizing another round of free tests. Biden also sought to shore up his base by touching on a laundry list of Democratic priorities.

And on the all-encompassing issue of inflation, Biden offered an explanation. "One third of all the inflation was because of automobile sales. There weren't enough semi-conductors to make all the cars that people wanted to buy and guess what? Prices of automobiles went way up," he said.

And he followed that up with a solution with echoes of an old theme in American politics – put America first. "Make more cars and semiconductors in America. More infrastructure and innovation in America. More goods moving faster and cheaper in America. More jobs where you can earn a good living in America. And instead of relying on foreign supply chains, let's make it in America," he said to some of the night's loudest cheers.

At a moment when polls show more than 70% of us think the country is on the wrong track, the president insisted the state of the union is strong and getting stronger. He can only hope that his performance domestically and overseas persuades enough voters he was telling the truth.