Why the Oval Office? Looking at Obama's past addresses

Sunday night's Oval Office address will mark only the third time President Obama has addressed the nation from his inner sanctum.

For other presidents, the Oval Office has been a go-to venue for important speeches. President George W. Bush used the office six times, Bill Clinton 12 times and Ronald Reagan used it 15 times, according to a Boston Globe tally.

"The President will provide an update on the ongoing investigation into the tragic attack in San Bernardino," the White House said in a statement. "The President will also discuss the broader threat of terrorism, including the nature of the threat, how it has evolved, and how we will defeat it."

In August 2010, Obama discussed the end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq.

"So tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended," he said. "Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country."

Just a few months earlier, on June 15, the president discussed the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and his vision for the nation's energy future.

"Tonight I’d like to lay out for you what our battle plan is going forward: what we’re doing to clean up the oil, what we’re doing to help our neighbors in the Gulf, and what we’re doing to make sure that a catastrophe like this never happens again."

In the past, Oval Office addresses have marked moments of great significance, including George W. Bush's speech after the September 11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon; Reagan's address when the space shuttle Challenger exploded; and Richard Nixon announcing his resignation. President William Howard Taft was the first to use the Oval Office in 1909.

Contributing: Kathy Kiely, Paste BN