President Obama will make the short drive from The White House to the halls of Congress on Thursday night to deliver his long-awaited “jobs speech.” What should we expect from him and the Republicans and what will give people the confidence that we are headed in the right direction?

Politico, the daily newspaper and online service, ran this headline today and with it an article that outlined how Obama operatives are getting ready to destroy Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s character in the hopes of maintaining The White House. But is this the right path for any candidate to take, especially one that ran on “hope?”

After last night’s State of the Union message and the Republican response, where to now? While the House Chamber was more civil last night during the president’s speech, civility alone will not generate the progress Americans yearn for. Instead, specific actions are now needed. Here are five key steps for us to focus on.

Just one week after the mid-term elections, President Obama touched down today for a visit to Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world. Many Americans still believe Obama is a Muslim himself, which colors their view of him and his patriotism. What I want to know is whether Obama’s Republican opponents will set the record straight, or further exploit this falsehood for their own political gain.

Much is being said about what will happen after today’s election. What will President Obama and the Republicans do? Where did all the passion for “change” go? What should be the next policy agenda? Over the coming weeks, I will return to these themes. But, today, I want to focus on the underlying fight I believe we must be prepared to take on after Election Day.

Welcome back from Memorial Day, which always offers us a day of rest from work and eases us into the summer months. But over the years I have found that for many of us there’s little real connection to Memorial Day itself – I know that’s true for me. The meaning of the day somehow gets lost amid cook-outs and busyness. So, today, I offer a simple prayer for Memorial Day to remind us of the day’s importance.

There’s a desperate need to re-engage Americans in the work of our communities – the work of our country. The first step is not to launch into yet another new program, but rather to pry open space for people to see and hear themselves again. This is at the heart of our nation’s challenge today. The perfect leader for this discussion is President Obama.

I know people have said the health care summit came and went with scant notice – that it was either a naïve or cynical political move. But we should look again. There’s genuine potential in holding a series of summits that the Obama Administration should seize. It would be good politics; even more, a real contribution for the country. Before you dismiss me out of hand, please read on.