Obama's State of the Union address 2013: A viewer's guide

Everything you need to know before tuning in to President Obama's last big shot to set the agenda in Washington

President Obama delivers his State of the Union address in 2010.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Tim Sloan)

President Obama delivers his fourth State of the Union address on Tuesday night, a high-profile opportunity to lay out his plans and hopes for his second term — while there's still enough second term left for him to get things done before Washington turns its attention to the 2014 elections. "I don't want to say it's the last important speech he's going to give, but the window for a second-term president is fairly narrow," Tony Fratto, a White House spokesman for George W. Bush, tells Reuters. Here's a guide to Obama's best, last chance to set the agenda for a divided Washington:

What should we expect from the 2013 State of the Union address?

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.