The eyes of the world were on US President Barack Obama as he delivered his first State of the Union address this week. On the back of concerns over his health reform agenda, and the stunning defeat of the Democrats in Massachusetts, Obama faced his first report card.

Crikey has pulled together a neat collection of the world’s reactions to the President’s speech:

Job creation and economic recovery were at the forefront of Obama’s address, with the President telling Congress that “Jobs must be our number one focus in 2010”.

The President has wasted little time in putting his money where his mouth is, setting off on a campaign around the country to sell his job creation program.

The big news hidden in the speech was, however, according to The Economist, Obama’s plan to push ahead with healthcare reform.

Obama conceded that he shared some of the blame in not explaining the case for healthcare reform to the electorate clearly enough, yet urged Congress not to turn their back on reform, repeating the words: “Let’s get it done”.

The New York Times suggests that Obama’s speech was a declaration to his critics that there is nothing wrong with his agenda. The problem lies instead with a lack of trust in government.

Some commentators were disappointed, however, by the President’s lack of attention on foreign policy, given the nation’s continued military offences in Afghanistan.

In an editorial, the Telegraph paints Obama as a “war leader who is reluctant to shoulder the burden of what that entails”.

A little closer to home, The Australian editorialised that Obama’s speech was simply an exercise in election politics, with the President offering something for all voters, and keeping his eye firmly on the November mid-terms.

Sine the SOTU, comparisons made between Obama and former presidents Clinton and Reagan are slowly gaining traction. Both of these presidents went on to win a second term, despite flagging publicity during their first.

Others, however, saw Obama as less contrite than Clinton in 1994, suggesting instead that he presented voters once again with a “change-you-can-believe-in play book”.

And the polish of Obama’s performance was not lost on observers, with Arianna Huffington describing the speech as having been “focus-grouped within an inch of its life”.