WASHINGTON — President Obama called for "a better politics" in his last State of the Union address, saying all the other challenges the country faces can only be overcome if Americans "can have rational, constructive debates."

In a speech peppered with question marks, Obama challenged the American people to focus on "four big questions" about the economy, technology, security and democracy.

"Will we respond to the changes of our time with fear, turning inward as a nation, and turning against each other as a people? Or will we face the future with confidence in who we are, what we stand for, and the incredible things we can do together?" he said.

Obama's election-year speech was redolent of a valedictory farewell, defending the progress made over the last seven years and setting out an agenda that will likely remain unfinished long after his presidency ends: turning back the effects of climate change, launching a "moonshot" to cure cancer, and cultivating a grassroots movement to demand changes in the political system.
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