It’s no secret that my favorite president is Ronald Reagan. One of his best quotes, in my opinion, contains a bit of inspiration that I try to live by each day:

It's surprising what you can accomplish when no one is concerned about who gets the credit.

Tonight from the Oval Office, President Barack Obama has the opportunity to craft and deliver a message that honors the men and women of the Armed Forces who have sacrificed so much during the war in Iraq. But it's also an opportunity to share the credit with his predecessor, George W. Bush, for bringing the war to an end. 

The key here for the president will be to recognize who his audience is -- a strongly divided American public -- and then deliver a message that demonstrates his understanding of their concerns and issues as a whole.

Everyone knows that President Obama promised during the campaign to bring the troops home by August 31, 2010, and he has delivered on that promise. But everyone also knows that achieving this goal would not have been possible without President Bush's troop surge, which military experts and political analysts agree was an objective success. 

Both men deserve credit and both men can share in the credit.

Call me naïve, but I believe that the American public is more concerned with moving America forward, ending hostilities abroad, putting Americans back to work and ending gridlock in Washington. Messaging and content will be key to the president’s success tonight.  Will he use this opportunity to showcase Reagan's insight? 

We’ll know tomorrow morning.