President Barack Obama delivered his first State of the Union address last night before a joint session of Congress, the Supreme Court and other members of the government, renewing his push for an ambitious legislative agenda — and calling for a change in the tone and politics of Washington to allow for its achievement.

The President’s address overwhelmingly focused on his domestic agenda. Having established clear courses of action on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and with less need for congressional cooperation in formulating overseas policy, Obama kept his emphasis on economic conditions within the United States.

The President centered the early part of his address around job growth, a key concern — politically and morally — at a time of 10-percent national unemployment.

“I realize that for every success story, there are other stories, of men and women who wake up with the anguish of not knowing where their next paycheck will come from, who send out resumes week after week and hear nothing in response,” he said. “That is why jobs must be our number-one focus in 2010, and that’s why I’m calling for a new jobs bill tonight.”

Laying out a diversity of approaches for encouraging employment, his speech put jobs front-and-center in discussions of a range of economic measures, from financial reform legislation to the administration’s bank bailout effort.

“Our most urgent task upon taking office was to shore up the same banks that helped cause this crisis,” Obama said to Congress. “It was not easy to do. And if there’s one thing that has unified Democrats and Republicans, and everybody in between, it’s that we all hated the bank bailout.”

“I hated it,” he continued. “You hated it. It was about as popular as a root canal. But when I ran for President, I promised I wouldn’t just do what was popular — I would do what was necessary. And if we had allowed the meltdown of the financial system, unemployment might be double what it is today. More businesses would certainly have closed. More homes would have surely been lost.”

The President, however, admitted that his administration had made mistakes.

“Our administration has had some political setbacks this year, and some of them were deserved,” he said.

Obama framed the argument for urgency, and its connection to national growth, in terms of international competition.

“You see, Washington has been telling us to wait for decades, even as the problems have grown worse,” he said. “Meanwhile, China is not waiting to revamp its economy. Germany is not waiting. India is not waiting. These nations — they’re not standing still. These nations aren’t playing for second place. They’re putting more emphasis on math and science. They’re rebuilding their infrastructure. They’re making serious investments in clean energy because they want those jobs.”

“Well, I do not accept second place for the United States of America,” he continued. “As hard as it may be, as uncomfortable and contentious as the debates may become, it’s time to get serious about fixing the problems that are hampering our growth.”

The President also proceeded to push for the passage of health care legislation, which has been embattled in its final stages — even after passage of bills in both the House and Senate — by the concerns of congressional Democrats.

“This is a complex issue, and the longer it was debated, the more skeptical people became,” he said. “I take my share of the blame for not explaining it more clearly to the American people. And I know that with all the lobbying and horse-trading, the process left most Americans wondering, ‘What’s in it for me?’ But I also know this problem is not going away.”

“So, as temperatures cool, I want everyone to take another look at the plan we’ve proposed . . . Here’s what I ask Congress, though: Don’t walk away from reform. Not now. Not when we are so close. Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people. Let’s get it done.”

The President also admonished Congress for the tone of debate and partisan intransigence, saying that “common sense,” which he called a “novel concept,” had to make its return.

“So, no, I will not give up on trying to change the tone of our politics. I know it’s an election year. And after last week, it’s clear that campaign fever has come even earlier than usual. But we still need to govern,” he said.

“To Democrats, I would remind you that we still have the largest majority in decades, and the people expect us to solve problems, not run for the hills,” he continued. “And if the Republican leadership is going to insist that 60 votes in the Senate are required to do any business at all in this town — a supermajority — then the responsibility to govern is now yours as well. Just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it’s not leadership. We were sent here to serve our citizens, not our ambitions. So let’s show the American people that we can do it together.”

Obama additionally renewed his stated commitment to end the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in the American armed services, a source of sharp criticism from the left wing of his party after a year of inaction.

“This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are,” he said, to the applause of, among others, Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Newly inaugurated Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell delivered the Republican response, opening on a humorous note.

“It’s not easy to follow the President of the United States,” McDonnell said. “And my twin 18-year-old boys have added to the pressure, by giving me exactly 10 minutes to finish before they leave to go watch SportsCenter.”

McDonnell, whose response was published two hours before the President’s address, spoke from the House chambers of Virginia’s Capitol building. He expressed broad agreement with the President’s priorities, but broke sharply with the President on the methods of solving national problems, criticizing the growth of government in particular.

“Now, we should pledge as Democrats, Republicans and Independents — Americans all — to work together to leave this nation a better place than we found it,” McDonnell said.

Obama closed his address with a mix of determination and inspiration, a close befitting an address that saw the President attempting to maintain the hopes invested in his administration while persevering through the glacial pace of the legislative process.

“We have finished a difficult year,” he said. “We have come through a difficult decade. But a new year has come. A new decade stretches before us. We don’t quit. I don’t quit. Let’s seize this moment.”