Obama to say U.S. must reshape economy to help middle class: excerpts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will tell Americans on Tuesday that the United States must reshape its economy to help the middle class and "turn the page" on recession and war, according to excerpts of his State of the Union speech provided by the White House. “At this moment – with a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry, and booming energy production – we have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on Earth," he will say, according to the excerpts. "It’s now up to us to choose who we want to be over the next fifteen years, and for decades to come." Obama will also say that the United States is stopping the advance of Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, but that the process will take time, and he will call on Congress to pass a resolution authorizing force against the group. Obama will also press Congress to pass legislation to thwart cyber attacks. "If we don’t act, we’ll leave our nation and our economy vulnerable. If we do, we can continue to protect the technologies that have unleashed untold opportunities for people around the globe,” he will say. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Jeff Mason)