Obama and his party are in a "damned if you do and damned if you don't" conundrum.
If anyone deserves to be happy about the president's speech, it's the Taliban. (Also read Richard Fernandez: "The other aspect of Afghanistan")
The results do not prove that the Obama presidency is fatally wounded, but they do show that Republicans can win in purple states.
Republicans in purple states like Virginia can win if they concentrate on the issues that matter to voters.