Valerie Jarrett: Obama not cocky, but confident

(CBS News) Ahead of President Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday night, political observers have noted an increased confidence and boldness in Obama, beginning with his second inaugural address.

The New York Times described an "assertiveness, self-possession, even cockiness that contrasts with the caution, compromise, and reserve that he showed for much of his first term.

Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to the president, addressed that observation Tuesday on "CBS This Morning," saying "certainly after four years he's had a lot of experience, his confidence has grown but his objective is the same.

"Since day one, he's been focused has been on building the middle class from the middle out as opposed to the top down, growing our economy, making sure we are a magnet here in the United States for jobs and for manufacturing," Jarrett continued.

Jarrett also addressed former Vice President Cheney's harsh criticism of Obama's so-called "second rate" national security team, saying it's "no surprise that we would pick different people ... the president has picked an outstanding team ... we call on Congress to confirm [them] as soon as possible so we can move forward."

Turning to Mr. Obama's condemnation Tuesday morning of North Korea's nuclear weapons test, Jarrett echoed the president's sentiments, calling the act "high provocative."

The act "violates numerous U.N. security resolutions," she said before adding, "it's destabilizing to the region, it's a threat to the U.S., it's a threatened to the international peace and security.

Jarrett stopped short of addressing specific action the U.S. may take in response, but said that "there will be an international firm response to that," to be determined after the U.N. Security council meets Tuesday morning.