But if you listened closely, you also heard the former president address a second topic: the difficulties of governing in a world where so many political forces are arrayed against you.
In this part of the speech, Obama seemed to be addressing his longtime critics in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
And whether or not you agree with his take, the subject feels especially relevant now as President Joe Biden and his allies struggle to get their agenda through Congress.
The Biden administration on Wednesday announced new sanctions on Russia, including on dictator Vladimir Putin's adult daughters, following new evidence of war crimes by Russian soldiers in Putin's invasion of Ukraine. "The sickening brutality in Bucha has made tragically clear the despicable nature of the Putin regime," a senior administration official said Wednesday morning on condition of anonymity. "Today, in alignment with [wealthy Group of Seven] allies and partners, we're intensifying the most severe sanctions ever levied on a major economy."
A federal judge on Wednesday acquitted a New Mexico man of misdemeanor charges that he illegally entered the U.S. Capitol and engaged in disorderly conduct after he walked into the building during last year's riot. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden issued the verdict from the bench after hearing testimony without a jury in the case against Matthew Martin. McFadden, who was nominated by former President Donald Trump, acquitted Martin of all four counts for which he was charged.
Republicans mocked Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson last month for refusing to define the word "woman" during her Senate confirmation hearing. But it turns out those same Republicans on the Judiciary Committee don't agree on how to define a woman, and some wouldn't ― or couldn't ― give a definition when HuffPost asked Tuesday.
