David Gergen | BIO
AC360° Contributor
CNN Senior Political Analyst

How often we have watched Barack Obama facing “the most important speech of his life” – Philadelphia, the Inaugural, Cairo, Afghanistan, etc., etc. Almost always he has risen to the occasion. But tonight’s State of the Union could require even more magic: for the first time he is delivering a message that looks virtually dead on arrival.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta | BIO
AC360° Contributor
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent

Dr. Sanjay Gupta and a couple of Haiti's medical students survey one of the nation's devastated medical schools.

John D. Sutter
CNN

Apple CEO Steve Jobs on Wednesday unveiled the iPad, a tablet computer that he called "a truly magical and revolutionary product."

CNN

Hours away from what is arguably the most important address of his short presidency, President Obama will huddle with his top speechwriters to go over the latest revisions to his State of the Union address, according to White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

Tom Foreman | BIO
AC360° Correspondent

As you put the final touches on your big speech, in my humble opinion, I want you to know that I think the State of the Union is schizophrenic.

CNN

The tradition of the State of the Union address dates to 1790, when George Washington delivered his "Annual Message," as required by the Constitution. Article II, Section III, states that the President shall "from time to time give to the Congress information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.

Mitch McConnell
Special to CNN

When the president took office last January, he vowed to tackle the economic crisis head on. Yet over the past year, Americans have seen their economic situation deteriorate even further.

Peniel E. Joseph
Special to CNN

Haiti's poverty has been much discussed since its massive earthquake, but little has been said of its rich, and equally fraught, history.

Ed Henry | BIO
CNN Senior White House Correspondent

Despite a heavy focus on fiscal discipline in his first State of the Union address, President Obama will announce an increase of up to $4 billion in federal education spending, according to senior administration officials familiar with the speech.

Nell Minow
Special to CNN

If insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result, the post-crisis pay plans in the finance industry qualify for commitment. The Wall Street financial firms claim to have made some changes, but all the ones we have seen so far are cosmetic, required by statute, weakened by loopholes, or circumvented.

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