Obama to look beyond his tenure in final SOTU address

WASHINGTON (AP) — Embarking on his final year in office, President Barack Obama will use tonight's State of the Union address to present an optimistic vision built on economic progress under his watch while seeking to ease Americans' growing concern about national security and terrorism.

Also embedded in Obama's remarks to lawmakers and a prime-time television audience will be a call to stay the course with Democrats in the November election. Much of what he has done, both in the U.S. and abroad, could be wiped away by a Republican president, increasing his imperative to keep his party in the White House.

Obama will deliver his speech before a Republican-led Congress hostile to his ideas and angry about his executive orders on issues from guns to immigration.

While Obama won't delve into the specifics of the tumultuous 2016 contest, his aides have made clear that he hopes an upbeat address can serve as a counterpoint to what the White House sees as a doom-and-gloom message from GOP candidates, particularly on security issues.

The address comes three weeks before the Feb. 1 Iowa caucus, which kicks off voting in the presidential race. Some of the candidates vying to succeed Obama will be in the House chamber for the president's remarks, including Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent running for the Democratic nomination.

Eager to stave off lame-duck status as long as possible, Obama's advisers have brushed off suggestions that his speech will amount to a victory lap or a capstone to his presidency. Instead, they say he'll emphasize that there's more to do during his last year, including finalizing a Pacific Rim trade pact, enacting criminal justice reforms, implementing the landmark nuclear deal with Iran and building on detente with Cuba.