U.S. President Barack Obama used his sixth State of the Union address to tell America the "shadow of the crisis has passed." The Washington Post highlighted that Obama "dropped his veneer of reserve" and took credit for the improving economic situation.

As the president announced more government intervention in the economy, with plans for new taxes on the wealthiest income brackets, as well as in other fields like education and the environment, the newspaper also observes that Obama "made clear that he is committed to cementing a liberal legacy."

While these announcements suggest hard-fought battles ahead between the White House and the Congress now under Republican control, there's one area where Obama can count on a majority of supporters: the fight against terrorism. After reaffirming America's support to the victims of the latest terrorist attacks in Pakistan and Paris, he vowed to "continue to hunt down terrorists and dismantle their networks, and we reserve the right to act unilaterally, as we have done relentlessly since I took office, to take out terrorists who pose a direct threat to us and our allies."

In his blog The Fix, Chris Cillizza noted Obama's newfound "sense of purpose and mission," just weeks after a stinging defeat in midterm elections. "From start to finish, Obama was supremely confident, challenging — and mocking — Republicans at every turn," he writes. "But more than the words on the page, it was Obama's tone and overall demeanor that absolutely oozed confidence. He winked. He laughed at his own jokes. And he ad-libbed."

Watch the highlights from Obama's 2015 State of the Union speech.

ABOUT THE SOURCE: Founded in 1877, The Washington Post is one of the U.S." leading dailies, known for its coverage of national politics. It was purchased by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2013.