President Obama Addresses Congress and the American Public

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Tonight, Feb. 24, President Barack Obama will deliver a prime-time televised speech before a joint session of Congress at 9 PM EST.  This piece will be updated as the news develops until the time when the Senators enter the U.S. House Chamber.

NP readers can watch the speech at 9 PM EST on all the major networks and cable news, or come back here for live streaming from the White House. 

The President will focus on the state of the country's economy, fiscal responsibility, and his plans to confront and solve short- and long-term economic challenges.

Although it is not the State of the Union speech, it is the first time that President Barack Obama appears before a joint session of Congress since he took office five weeks ago.

It will be somewhat like a State of the Union speech, but most Presidents do not typically give that speech in their first year of office, until the following year.  This is not one of those typical times, however, as the country is suffering from severe economic and financial crises, therefore, the President wants to rally the nation while setting a course toward great fiscal discipline.

Excerpts from the speech as released by the White House:

But while our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken; though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before.

The weight of this crisis will not determine the destiny of this nation. The answers to our problems don’t lie beyond our reach. They exist in our laboratories and universities; in our fields and our factories; in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest-working people on Earth. Those qualities that have made America the greatest force of progress and prosperity in human history we still possess in ample measure. What is required now is for this country to pull together, confront boldly the challenges we face, and take responsibility for our future once more.

The First Lady Michelle Obama will have several guests with her tonight in the House of Representatives. The following is a partial list of the guests' names:

• An 8th-grader Ty’Sheoma Bethea who wrote a letter pleading with lawmakers to address the dire situation of her crumbling 110 year-old school that the President had mentioned in his speech.
• Mr. Leonard Abess, Jr., a banker in Miami who shared $60 million in profits with his employees along with Ms. Geneva Lawson, one of the recipients of Mr. Abess's generosity.
• Mrs. Mary Henley is from Richmond, Virginia is a 78-year-old working woman. Mrs. Henley is currently receiving Social Security benefits, and she also continued to work part-time cleaning office buildings in order to help pay her basic living expenses.
• Richard G. DeCoatsworth, Police Officer of the Philadelphia Police Department has demonstrated courage above and beyond the call of duty.
  
• Mayor Bob Dixson of Greensburg, Kansas. He has been a resident of Greensburg since 1985. Dixson took office as Mayor of Greensburg in May 2008, just one year after Greensburg was devastated by an F5 tornado that resulted in the loss of 11 lives and 95% of its buildings.
  

Following the speech, Louisiana's Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal will give the GOP's response. This will be the first time many Americans will have a chance to see and hear from this potential 2012 Presidential candidate.

Related Articles:

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Jarrett Martineau Full Text of President Obama's Speech Tonight to Congress