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U.S. President
Barack Obama urged Americans to “win the future” this week, while
moving ahead in the effort to do that himself as well.

Obama delivered the
State of the Union address, an annual constitutional obligation which
has become an opportunity for the White House to praise its
accomplishments and sketch-out its plans.

In that ritual
speech to lawmakers, judges,ambassadors and guests, Obama advanced a
range of initiatives but passed-over one crucial item on his personal
agenda: beginning his campaign for re-election.

Americans voted
just a few months ago in Congressional elections that punished Obama’s
Democratic Party. His own job will be on the line the next time they go
to the polls, in November of 2012.

Despite the severe ‘shellacking’ that even he concedes he suffered in the November, his prospects are now looking up.

With the American
economy continuing to recover from recession and unemployment slowly
reducing, Obama is rising in public opinion polls. In some respects,
he’s doing better than even some of his supporters’ say they’d
expect.“Right now, you have the president with 55 percent job approval
at nine percent unemployment, which is quite frankly fairly
remarkable,” said Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher. “The policies
are working and I think the Americans are feeling it.” Obama has
started staffing his re-election headquarters in his hometown, Chicago,
and has shuffled his White House staff as well.

His potential
Republican opponents aren’t moving quite as fast. Former
vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin continues to be the most
prominent potential figure in the race, but she hasn’t said publicly
whether she’ll run.Recent public opinion polls put Obama ahead of her
and every other potential candidate the Republicans are likely to put
forward.

But the race hasn’t
really begun and it promises to challenge the president. Republicans
now control the House of Representatives and are planning a series of
confrontations over the Obama administration’s policies and
practices.Unemployment is still high and government spending is still
setting records. Both are serious problems for Obama’s prospects.

“He’s not a new
president anymore,” said former Republican White House aide Ari
Fleischer. “It’s time to judge him on results.” Americans seem to be
doing that and increasingly, they are once again rallying behind Barack
Obama.

Jonathan Mann
presents Political Mann on CNN International each Friday at 18:30
(CAT), Saturday at 3pm and 9pm (CAT), and Sunday at 10am (CAT).