It is all about perspective
"Reform of the patent system is desperately needed, and it's hurting the US economy to the tune of billions of dollars a year. Even worse, much of this money is being funneled back into filing more and more lawsuits, ensuring that the problems will be ever-growing."
- or, if you are a patent lawyer then -
"Keeping the current patent system is desperately needed, and it's benefiting the legal industry (and hence the US economy) to the tune of billions of dollars a year. Even better, much of this money is being funneled back into filing more and more lawsuits, ensuring that the benefits will be ever-growing."
The US patent laws are there for the benefit of the USPTO (and the revenue it generates for US) and is highly beneficial to the patent lawyers.
Patent lawyers make money out of filing, but the real money comes from fighting in patent disputes. Low quality patents (and trolls) cause more disputes, so where's the motivation to change the current system.
Any recommendations for changes will have to come from some committee which will be heavily stacked with people knowledgeable about patent law - in other words the patent lawyers - who have little interest in changing anything.
Unfortunately Obama is just running a line. Talk is cheap, but achievement is much harder.