'Freedom will triumph over tyranny': Biden's first State of the Union echoes themes from the Cold War

Presenting a unified front. Saul Loeb-Pool/Getty Images

It was a familiar scene.

The president of the United States strode down the aisle of the U.S. House of Representatives to deliver the State of the Union address, the only constitutionally mandated instance of presidential speech. Usually, it serves to lay out the White House’s policy agenda for the coming year, along with perceived accomplishments.