From NBC's Charlie Warzel
A bipartisan group of congressmen reacted to President Obama's State of the Union and surveyed the 2012 landscape at a "Mapping the Congress" event at the Newseum yesterday, hosted by Politico.

Democrats, including Reps. Jim Clyburn (SC) and Steve Israel (NY), said Obama was "pitch-perfect" at the State of the Union. Republican Mike Pence, who's considering a run for president, said he appreciated the president’s “affirmation of what makes this country great.”

But Pence offered this caution: “In Washington, the devil is always in the details." He went on to note, “All his [Obama’s] answers called for bigger government. This is the challenge.”

As the conversation veered toward the coming year, both Republicans and Democrats appeared cautiously optimistic that the recent push for civility and bipartisan cooperation could withstand the coming hurdles.

"The change you will see will be in civility and the manner of debate,” House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R) said.

Republicans and Democrats both stressed the importance of job creation and hinted toward finding common ground on the issue of tax reform.

"Both sides can agree it's [the tax code] too complicated” said Israel (D-N.Y.), head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Democrats' election arm of the House. But, Israel warned, “the hard climb will be identifying what provisions to reform.”

Freshman Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) also expressed hope that “the divided government can create an opportunity to accomplish some hard things.”

Looking toward the 2012 political season all eyes were on Pence, who has vowed to announce his plans to run for either president or Indiana governor by the end of this month. He ducked questions about his future plans, while sticking to his end-of-the-month timeline and citing his family as his biggest consideration. "The highest office I’ll serve is husband and father,” he said.

Israel said Democrats are ready and wasting no time preparing for 2012. “We started recruiting on Day One after the election,” he said.

McCarthy made this early prediction for 2012: "I think House GOP will gain seats in 2012. It’s too early to tell how many, but we've got good potential."

Israel, however, made it clear he is aiming for double-digit Democratic takeovers with his emphatic slogan, "Drive for 25."
 
The three-hour panel was also not without its lighter moments. Blunt shared a story about his recently adopted puppy; Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) chronicled his downtime and daily commute from Wilmington, DE, something Vice President Biden before him also did as senator.

Coons concluded with an anecdote about his frequent Wii matches with his son. "My son's trash-talking abilities have improved," he said, "along with his ability to beat me in Madden.”

From NBC's Pete Williams
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says the government's new threat warning system will consist of two levels -- elevated and imminent, replacing the five-tiered, color coded system in place since 2002.
 
"When a threat develops that could impact you, the public, we will tell you. We will provide whatever information we can so you know how to protect yourselves, your families, and your communities," Napolitano said in remarks prepared for a speech Thursday on the status of America's homeland security.
 
The new alerts, she said, "will provide a concise summary of the potential threat, information about actions being taken to ensure public safety, and recommended steps that individuals and communities can take."
 
In some cases, Napolitano said, the alerts may be communicated directly to law enforcement or to segments of the private sector, such as shopping malls or hotels. They will be specific to the threat and may recommend that people take certain actions, such as looking for suspicious behavior. And the alerts will include an end date.
 
The new system will go into effect in three months, by the end of April. Under the current advisory system, the nation's airports are at orange or high, while the rest of the country is at yellow or elevated. During the first four years of the colored system, the threat level was changed 16 times, both up and down, but it has not been changed in four-and-a-half years, despite several serious security threats. That fact alone reflects what many have seen as the old system's declining utility in communicating useful information.  

Mark and Domenico break down President Obama's State of the Union address.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Shot and edited by Ali Weinberg.

The Egypt story is yet another reminder how external events can knock the White House off course… Obama sits down for YouTube interview at 2:30 pm ET, and holds monthly Af-Pak meeting before that… Obama’s Reagan role model… Bachmann’s near “You lie” moment… Romney blasts Obama… And Daniels watches college hoops instead of the State of the Union.

Egyptian riot police clash with anti-government activists in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday. Egyptian anti-government activists clashed with police for a second day in defiance of an official ban on any protests but beefed up police forces on the streets quickly moved in and used tear gas and beatings to disperse demonstrations.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** External affairs: Just when the Obama White House feels it can focus on selling its State of the Union message -- just note how many times Obama talked about “winning the future” in Wisconsin (on top of the 10 references in the SOTU itself) -- comes another reminder that external events always have the potential of interrupting those plans. That reminder: the political unrest in the Middle East. “The Egyptian government intensified efforts to crush a fresh wave of protests on Wednesday, banning public gatherings, detaining hundreds of people and sending police officers to scatter protesters who defied the ban and demanded an end to the government of President Hosni Mubarak,” the New York Times writes. Egypt has yet to become an all-consuming story (the way the BP spill was, for example), but it easily could. There might not be a more important Arab ally to the U.S. and to Israel. And of course, if Mubarak falls, then who's next? The King of Jordan? The King of Saudi Arabia? Bottom line: This is a reminder how events always have the potential to change the story, and knock the White House off its planned focus on the economy. 

In this screen capture, President Obama is seen live on the White House YouTube channel last year answering video and text questions. He will take part in a YouTube interview today.

*** Obama’s actual YouTube moment: Two days after his State of the Union address, President Obama will surely try to advance his winning-the-future message when he participates in a YouTube interview at 2:30 pm ET. And with the Dow flirting with 12,000, it should give him something to use to sell the idea that we're in a more stable position for Phase 2 of the recovery. Vice President Biden will be participating in a similar interview with Yahoo that will air tomorrow. Earlier in the day, at 11:00 am, Obama and Biden will hold their monthly meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan. By the way, we could have a new White House press secretary (along with a handful of final senior staff announcements) announced today, though due to the weather issues in D.C., that announcement could be delayed until tomorrow.

*** The Reagan role model: It’s always been clear that Barack Obama has admired Ronald Reagan’s presidency -- though not necessarily his policies -- whether it was during his primary battle against Hillary Clinton, with him reading a Reagan biography over Christmas, or even Tuesday’s “shining city on a hill”-like State of the Union. And the latest issue of Time magazine picks up on this theme. “At a glance, it's hard to imagine a President who had less in common with Reagan than the Ivy League lawyer from Hawaii who seeks larger federal investments, a bigger social safety net and new regulations for Wall Street and Big Oil. But under the surface, there is no mistaking Obama's increasing reliance on his predecessor's career as a helpful template for his own.”

*** Changing the trajectory in American politics: Beyond wanting to follow Reagan’s political script -- the president, during high unemployment, takes a beating in the midterm but then wins re-election as the economy improves -- Obama has been interested in the way in which Reagan’s presidency changed American politics. "I think Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that, you know, Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not," Obama said during his primary campaign. Writes Time: “No one was unclear about Reagan's guiding philosophy: ‘Government is the problem,’ he declared on his Inauguration Day, and by then he had been saying it for nearly 20 years. Obama's is more complex. He wants to reset the public's attitude toward government, reverse 30 years of skepticism and mistrust and usher in a new era in which government solutions are again seen as part of the answer to the nation's ills.” So far, though, that push hasn’t been successful.

*** Bachmann’s near “You lie” moment at the State of the Union? Bloomberg News: "It wasn’t exactly a 'you lie' moment, though on a night designed to showcase bipartisan civility Representative Michele Bachmann had a few choice words for President Barack Obama. 'He’s absolutely shameless,' the Minnesota Republican could be seen saying to her seatmate, Representative Jean Schmidt, an Ohio Republican, according to a video taken in the U.S. House chamber during Obama’s State of the Union address two nights ago. Bachmann, 54, who later gave a televised response to the president on behalf of the Tea Party Express, turned back to face Obama and repeated, 'Absolutely shameless!' She spoke as the president was saying the government should balance its budget more like average American families."

*** Romney blasts Obama on FOX: Turning to the emerging 2012 presidential race, Mitt Romney last night took a shot at Obama on FOX. “He’s trying awfully hard,” Romney said of the president, per the Boston Globe. “The problem is, he just doesn’t know what to do.” Romney also said “it was important for the field to have a businessman,’ the Globe continues. “’I don’t know who all is going to get in the race, but I do believe that it would be helpful if at least one of the people who’s running in the Republican field had extensive experience in the private sector – in small business, in big business,’ he said.”

*** Daniels picks college hoops over the State of the Union: As we’ve written before, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has given many mixed signals about his White House intentions. On the one hand, he’s made it clear that his family isn’t interested with the scrutiny that comes with a presidential campaign. On the other hand, Daniels has worked to increase his national profile. Well, file this under the he-probably-won’t-run column: While touring a middle school yesterday, Daniels admitted to a reporter that he hadn’t watched President Obama give the State of the Union address, opting rather to watch the Purdue-Ohio State basketball game. “You caught me. I didn’t watch it. I was watching the Purdue game as long as it was watchable,” he said.

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Per the Wall Street Journal, "The federal budget deficit will reach a record of nearly $1.5 trillion in 2011 due to the weak economy, higher spending and fresh tax cuts, congressional budget analysts said, in a stark warning that will drive the growing battle over government spending and taxation. At that size, the deficit—up from $1.29 trillion in 2010—would be roughly $60 billion more than the White House projected last summer, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday." 

"The landmark [health-care] legislation probably will not hold costs down, and it will not let everybody keep their current health insurance if they like it, chief actuary Richard Foster told the House Budget Committee. His office is responsible for independent long-range cost estimates," AP reports.

The White House disagrees. Spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter wrote on a White House blog: "The Actuary has also raised concerns that implementing these cost-control measures may not be possible. Once again, we disagree. History shows that it is possible to implement measures that will save money for Medicare and the federal government. For example, both the Office of the Actuary and the Congressional Budget Office substantially underestimated the savings that were achieved by the Balanced Budget Act."

"In this new and challenging time, when America is facing tougher competition from countries around the world than ever before, we've got to up our game," Obama said yesterday in Wisconsin, per the Washington Post. "We're going to need to go all in. We're going to need to get serious about winning the future."

The New York Times adds, "If Tuesday’s speech was meant to sound a new, more optimistic note, Mr. Obama came to Wisconsin, a swing state in presidential elections, not only to repeat his message but also to illustrate it. While unemployment remains above 9 percent nationwide, in this town it is under 8 percent — 4 points lower than a year ago — partly because of hiring at the three factories, all of which have taken advantage of federal loans and tax incentives to retool, innovate and expand."

Way to go, Arizona: "An Arizona legislator has revived her effort to require presidential candidates to show their birth certificate if they want to get on the state's ballot," the New York Daily News writes. "State Rep. Judy Burges submitted a new version of the 'Birther Bill' on Tuesday, even though a similar bill failed to gain support last year."

White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer said a replacement for White House Press Secretary should be coming "soon" -- though he didn't hint at who it could be or when the announcement would come. 

First Lady Michelle Obama is on Oprah today. She pre-taped the interview yesterday and lauded military families. 

The Washington Post: "It is the narrowly divided Democratic-led Senate - not the Republican House - that is most likely to tackle the bipartisan initiatives Obama laid out Tuesday, including free-trade deals, border security and immigration reform, and an overhaul of the corporate tax code."

More: Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) and his leadership colleagues have worked behind the scenes with their GOP counterparts to overhaul a set of arcane procedural rules, with the aim of curtailing filibusters and allowing a more free-flowing debate... The Senate is not expected to go as far as the freshmen would like, but senior Senate aides said Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) are close to a gentleman's agreement aimed at curbing disruptive practices. Senators plan to try the new approach with modest initiatives. One starting point under discussion is a slate of pending non-controversial judicial nominations that stalled last year on the Senate floor, aides said." 

The New York Times says that House Republicans are split on cutting military spending. "The discordant Republican voices on military spending have bred confusion on Capitol Hill, among military contractors and within the military itself, where no one is exactly sure what the members backed by the Tea Party will do. It also shows why taking on the military budget will be so hard, even though a widening deficit has led the president and the leaders of both parties to say this time they are serious."

"A Republican-run House hearing on eliminating federal regulations quickly erupted into partisanship yesterday, as GOP lawmakers said many rules cost American jobs while Democrats insisted they protect public health, the environment, and even national security," AP reports.

House Speaker John Boehner now says he made a mistake when he said the retirement age should be raised. "I made a mistake when I did that because I think having the conversation about how big the problem is is the first step," Boehner told CNN. "And once the American people understand how big the problem is, then you can begin to outline an array of possible solutions."

"By voting Wednesday to abolish public financing for presidential campaigns, House Republicans endorsed a policy that could cause serious problems for one particular group: fellow Republicans hoping to run for the White House in 2012," the Washington Post says. (The legislation is unlikely to move any farther than the House, though.)

The Senate Tea Party Caucus kicks off today, but "already, a handful of freshman Republicans who garnered the backing of tea party activists in 2010 have declined to join or claimed to have given the matter little thought. And some veteran GOP Senators, while expressing strong support for tea party principles, doubted the group’s ability to affect policy," Roll Call writes.

That’s the pits, man: Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) "is suing over a sandwich he bought at a U.S. House of Representatives cafeteria nearly three years ago. His lunch contained an unpitted olive, which caused 'serious and permanent dental and oral injuries,' according to the Jan. 3 lawsuit," the New York Daily News writes.

AP

Republican tea-party backed Senate candidate Sharron Angle concedes in her race against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at her election night party in Las Vegas.

“Instead of relying solely on ambivalence as the motivating favor behind their public hesitation, leading presidential prospects are also admitting some of the strategy involved,” The Hill observes. “Four top prospects have admitted to some of the truest dangers of going early — financial burn rate, overexposure, and turning into a sitting duck.”

ANGLE: Sharron Angle (R-NV), who lost to Sen. Harry Reid in 2010, apparently isn't ruling out a presidential run, she said in Iowa.

BARBOUR: While visiting party activists and community leaders in Greenville and Spartanburg, S.C., “Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour opened the door to a 2012 presidential run Wednesday, but said he could opt to support another candidate for the GOP nomination if he thinks another Republican has a better chance to unseat President Barack Obama,” the Spartanburg Herald Journal writes.

CHRISTIE: The New Jersey governor “told CNBC's Larry Kudlow that he's had recent meetings with Haley Barbour, Mitch Daniels and Tim Pawlenty -- and he thinks they're all good governors,” Politico says. "’They are all really credible folks,’ Christie said, calling Daniels among the brightest governors in America and saying he had ‘extreme respect’ for Barbour.”

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels.

DANIELS: While touring a middle school yesterday, Gov. Mitch Daniels admitted to a reporter that he hadn’t watched President Obama give the State of the Union address, opting rather to watch the Purdue-Ohio State basketball game. ““You caught me. I didn’t watch it. I was watching the Purdue game as long as it was watchable,” Daniels said.

DEMINT: Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) is headed to Iowa March 26. "DeMint will be in Iowa to keynote an event for Congressman Steve King," The Iowa Republican writes. "The event, which is being billed as a 'conference,' will not be held in the 5th Congressional District, which King represents, but rather it will be held in Des Moines." 

GINGRICH: “Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who's mulling a run for president, is in Florida,” the AP reports. “The Republican is touring Bethesda Memorial Hospital in Boynton Beach on Thursday and will speak about health reform.”

PALIN: On her Facebook page, “former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin responded to President Obama’s State of the Union address, writing that Mr. Obama’s message was ‘the era of big government is here as long as I am, so help me pay for it,’” The State Column writes.

“SarahPAC, the leadership committee of former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, said in its latest fund-raising report on Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission that it brought in $279,000 from Nov. 23 to Dec. 31, 2010,” the New York Times writes. “Nearly all of the money raised came from individual donors, mostly in amounts less than $200. Just eight of the more than 600 itemized donations were for $1,000 or more.”

PENCE: The AP: “Republican Rep. Mike Pence is nearly face-to-face with his own deadline to announce by the end of the month whether he'll be making a run for president or governor next year. A state ethics law passed last year, however, could throw a wrench into any immediate campaign for governor since it prohibits any political fundraising by candidates for statewide office until the Legislature completes its session in late April.”

ROMNEY: “Former Governor Mitt Romney tonight blasted President Obama, going after him using a line of attack that opponents have utilized before: competency for the job,” the Boston Globe writes of Romney’s appearance on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News. “He’s trying awfully hard,” Romney said. “The problem is, he just doesn’t know what to do.”

Romney also said “it was important for the field to have a businessman,’ the Globe continues. “’I don’t know who all is going to get in the race, but I do believe that it would be helpful if at least one of the people who’s running in the Republican field had extensive experience in the private sector – in small business, in big business,’ he said.”  

Politico reports that liberals plan to protest the billionaire Koch brothers -- who have funded Tea Party groups like Americans for Prosperity -- at their annual business meeting. "This weekend, for the eighth straight year, the billionaire Koch brothers will convene a meeting of roughly 200 wealthy businessmen, Republican politicians and conservative activists for a semi-annual conference to raise millions of dollars for the institutions that form the intellectual foundation – and, increasingly, the leading political edge – of the conservative movement."

"In the past, the meetings have drawn an A-list of participants – politicians like Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, leading free-market thinkers including American Enterprise Institute president Arthur Brooks, talkers Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck and even Supreme Court justices - to mingle with the wealthy donors who comprise the bulk of the invitees. The meetings adjourned after soliciting pledges of support from the donors – sometimes totaling as much as $50 million – to non-profit groups favored by the Kochs."

Now: "Common Cause, the liberal watchdog group, is planning a protest called 'Uncloaking the Kochs' and what it calls 'the billionaires caucus' on Sunday a few miles down the road from the resort in Rancho Mirage, Calif., where this weekend’s conference will be held, and a handful of reporters have made plans to try to cover the Koch’s closed-door gathering." 

Common Cause and other liberals will hold a conference call at noon ET to provide details about their rally against the Koch brothers.

AP

Republican David Rivera speaks to supporters in Coral Gables, Fla. on Election Day 2010.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Shawna Thomas
Republicans criticized Nancy Pelosi when she was speaker for not draining the swamp, as she pledged. They were particularly critical of her handling of the ethics cases involving Reps. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) and Maxine Waters (D-CA).

When Republicans took over the House this year, Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) committed to a "zero-tolerance policy" on ethics violations.

Now it looks like that policy is getting its first test.

Freshman Rep. David Rivera (R-FL) is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for "alleged financial improprieties" related to his financial relationship with a dog track and a condominium he sold days after winning election to Congress. The Federal Election Commission is also looking into Rivera’s 2010 campaign finances, Politico reported.

Rivera’s office did not immediately respond to e-mail inquiries from NBC News.

Heather Smith, spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed a "public integrity investigation" into Rivera, being handled out of the state's Executive Investigations office in Tallahassee. It opened the probe in October of 2010 and is working in conjunction with the Office of the State Attorney and the Miami-Dade Police Department.

“As I understand the allegations against Mr. Rivera, they don't involve any of his congressional service,” newly installed Speaker John Boehner said at a news conference today after being asked about Rivera. “These are activities that took place before he was elected. And I think we are waiting to see how this plays out.”

A Cantor spokesperson said, "Unlike Leader Pelosi and the previous majority, Eric has said that Republicans will have a ‘zero tolerance’ policy, and we are currently awaiting the results of the investigation in Florida."

But Boehner and Cantor’s responses -- and their declining to rebuke Rivera -- has drawn criticism from Democrats, looking to paint Republicans as hypocritical and backing off their pledge.

"[I]t's increasingly clear that the campaign pledge from Republican leaders ... didn't really mean 'zero tolerance' for what's now a growing criminal investigation into their own member of Congress," said Jesse Ferguson, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "Now they're going to tolerate it, but tell us, 'It's just this once.'"

A Democratic House aide said, "Speaker Boehner and Leader Cantor should live up to their pledge."

Boehner’s statement also drew comparisons to Pelosi’s statements about Rangel. As speaker, after the ethics committee admonished Rangel last February, Pelosi said, "Every member is entitled to have his day before the ethics committee. They have said he did not knowingly violate the rules. And again, if this were the end of it, that would be one thing, but there's obviously more to come, and we'll see what happens with that."

The difference, however, is, “Those actions [Rivera’s] pre-dated his Congressional service," Boehner spokesman Michael Steel told First Read.

That’s true, and the ethics committee’s jurisdiction is only over members while they are members -- though it’s not clear if that also applies to potential campaign-finance violations for freshmen who win election. (The committee did not immediately return a phone call.)

And, in fairness to Boehner, as minority leader, he moved quickly to deal with a sex scandal involving former Rep. Mark Souder of Indiana, who resigned.

In addition, Republicans would also point out that sitting Democratic members have had their own ethical issues before coming to Congress. Alcee Hastings, for example, was removed as a federal judge after he was impeached. He later served as chairman of a subcommittee on the House Rules Committee. 

But James Thurber, who teaches ethics at American University, points out that Hastings’ prior ethical issues had an impact on whether he could continue on the intelligence committee and if he could be chairman. Thurber also said those Democratic leaders, who at the time did not condemn the actions of members who had prior ethical issues, are also deserving of criticism.

The House rules back up Boehner, in that the ethics committee does not have jurisdiction over matters that pre-date a member’s service, Thurber said. But, he added, Boehner’s office is “being overly legalistic. ...

"If they’re interested in shining a light on how much more ethical they are, unlike the Democrats, then it sends the wrong message."

AP

Former Penn. Sen. Rick Santorum speaks at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit on Tuesday in Des Moines, Iowa. Santorum commented on President Obama's State of the Union address during an interview with a Des Moines radio station.

From NBC's Catherine Chomiak
Likely presidential candidate and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum (R) dismissed President Obama’s State of the Union address as “a speech of platitudes with very little substance.”

"I thought it was a speech of platitudes with very little substance,” Santorum said on Newsradio 1040 WHO in Des Moines, IA. “You know, he talked about, we're going to be pro-business and the only concrete thing that I saw there about business was raising taxes on job creators, by increasing the top rate. He said they want to do something about spending, and he spent the first half of his speech talking about more spending."

Obama did, however, also talk about cutting the corporate tax rate.

When asked a question about the constitutionality of health care reform, Santorum took the opportunity to hit a possible Republican opponent.

"When Mitt Romney gets up and says ‘RomneyCare’ is OK and Constitutional, he's right -- under Massachusetts [law],” Santorum said. “Massachusetts can require you to buy health insurance, auto insurance, to buy whatever they believe is in the best interest for the people to do, and it's bankrupting Massachusetts.”

Santorum also addressed his comments to Christian News Service where, when referring to President Obama’s pro-choice stance on abortion, he said, "I find it almost remarkable for a black man to say, 'We're going to decide who are people and who are not people.'"

Today, he said he welcomes "this battle. I'm not someone who backs down from a fight when you know you're right. In this case, what I said was dead on, and I believe it. I'm glad that we're having this debate. It's a debate we need to have in America."

AP

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sen. KentConrad (D-N.D.), speaks about the Congressional Budget Office's economic outlook during a news conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

From NBC's Alexandra Moe
Both Republicans and Democrats responded to the new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) economic outlook released today that shows the United States continues to face tough economic challenges.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) emphasized the importance of working together on deficit reduction without threatening the country’s climb out of the recession.

"It is the deteriorating, long-term outlook that is the biggest threat to the country's economic security," Conrad said. All bi-partisan fiscal commissions dealing with the topic, he said, have concluded the same plan: Don't endanger this growing recovery but adopt a plan now that is credible and gets us back on track."

CBO predicts that the budget deficit would jump to nearly $1.5 trillion in 2011 and that unemployment rates will still be high.

"The unemployment rate will only fall to 9.2% in the 4th quarter of this year and 8.2% in the 4th quarter of 2012," CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf said. It would not be until 2016 that the unemployment rate would get down close to the "natural rate" of unemployment.

This report comes the day after President Obama delivered his State of the Union address during which he proposed a five-year spending freeze for many domestic programs while still encouraging investing in education, transportation and renewable energy.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and other Senate republicans announced their support of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the United States Constitution to help bring down the nation's debt.

"It is time to cut spending, not freeze it," Hatch said referring to the president's proposal in his speech last night.

Obama is expected to submit his budget request for fiscal 2012 during the second week of February. The constitutional amendment would require the president to submit a balanced budget to Congress.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) noted that past efforts to pass a balanced budget amendment failed, but the national debt has never been as big as it is now.

"In 1997 when Senator Hatch lead this effort as he is here today, there were 11 Democrats that voted for that joint resolution," Sen. John Cornyn said. "Given the numbers then and the numbers now, I think the case is very compelling and I fully expect that we will have a number of democrats that join us."

But CBO's Elmendorf doesn't think there is one single policy change that could eliminate these fiscal problems. "Unfortunately, it is likely that a return to normal economic conditions will take years," he said.

AP

In this March 12, 2002 file photo, Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge unveils a color-coded terrorism warning system in Washington created after the September 11th attacks.

From NBC's Pete Williams
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is expected to announce tomorrow that the color-coded threat advisory system, launched after the 9/11 attacks but now more or less discarded, will be formally scrapped this spring.

DHS has for the past several months moved away from the threat system. The threat level was not changed, for example, after the underwear bombing attempt on Christmas Day 2009, after the car bomb attempt last year in Times Square, or when package bombs were detected on cargo flights last fall.

Instead, DHS has more directly communicated intelligence directly to those considered most likely to need it and has made information public without resorting to changing the threat level.

The system was frequently used after its inception, with the threat level changed 16 times after it was introducted in 2002.

But no changes have been made to the threat level in any sector since August 2006.

From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
Dismissing President Barack Obama's opposition to earmarks as "an applause line," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told NBC News on Wednesday that the president should "back off" and let lawmakers continue to direct spending to their home districts.

Asked during a one-on-one interview with NBC whether Obama was wrong to promise a veto on any bill that contains earmarks, Reid quickly replied, "of course."

"This is an applause line," Reid said. "It's an effort by the White House to get more power. They've got enough power as it is."

Reid, along with other lawmakers who support earmarking, argues that eliminating the practice simply puts more discretion in the hands of executive branch officials who have authority to fund projects.  "I have a Constitutional obligation to do congressionally directed spending," he said. "I know much more about what should be done in Elko [or] Las Vegas, Nevada, than some bureaucrat does back here."

Reid said voters should recognize that eliminating congressional earmarks does not, in itself, reduce spending but changes how the same money is spent.

"I think it's absolutely wrong and the public should understand that the president has enough power; he should back off and let us do what we do."

Suggesting almost dismissively that the president is playing to the crowd, he added that Obama may win "in the short term" with conservatives and those in the public who think that the practice should be nixed.

 "The president thinks this will help him a little bit. You know, more power to him," he said. "But it's just wrong."

Despite this strong disagreement, Reid says the fight over earmarks will not cause a long-term rift with Obama.

"He's been around awhile. I've been around a while," he noted. "Just because he's wrong on this, [it] doesn't mean he's not right on almost everything else."

From NBC's Athena Jones
MANITOWOC, WI -- The day after delivering a State of the Union speech that seemed aimed at middle America, President Obama stopped here in this Midwest town on the shores of Lake Michigan to visit three firms the White House says embody his message of innovation and competitiveness.

Obama was here to tour Orion, a company that makes energy-efficient and renewable-energy technology, as well as aluminum manufacturer Skana and Broadwind Towers, a wind turbine tower maker. The visit is meant to amplify the argument he made in the House chamber last night -- that a country that "out-educates" and "out-innovates" others can better compete in the global economy.

"We need to make sure American workers can go head-to-head with every other country on Earth," he told the crowd at Orion, after touring the plant.

Obama went on to say that staying competitive means rebuilding the nation's roads and bridges and investing in high-speed Internet access for all and cutting wasteful, excessive spending "wherever we find it."

The president has long been focused on improving education, spurring innovation, and encouraging investment in infrastructure and clean energy to help lay a strong foundation for economic growth. Today, he spoke about steps his administration has taken to help businesses -- including grants to encourage companies to use renewable energy, the Small Business Act aimed at helping small businesses get more access to credit as banks slowly boost lending and the tax cut bill he signed in December, which includes tax incentives to promote business investment -- all moves that have helped the companies he visited here grow.

"The jobs you're creating here, the growth you've achieved, has come, I know, through hard work and ingenuity and a single-minded focus on being the best at what you do," he said. "This company has also been supported over the years not just by the Department of Agriculture and the Small Business Administration, but by tax credits and awards we created to give a leg up to renewable energy companies."

The broad, non-ideological vision the president spelled out last night seemed directed at winning the hearts and minds of voters who want to see Democrats and Republicans work together to tackle the deficit, the tax code and high health-care costs. While he defended the health-care overhaul, Obama also said he was open to ways to improve it. He also spoke about reforming the tax code, reorganizing government, and banning earmarks -- issues with broad Republican support -- as other areas important to strengthening America's foundation.

"Here in America we play to win; we don't play not to lose," Obama said. "Part of what I wanted to communicate last night is: Having gone through a tough time, having gone through a recession, having seen so many jobs lost, having seen the financial markets take a swoon, you get a sense that a lot of folks have been feeling like 'well, we've just gotta play not to lose.' We can't take that attitude."

Obama's emphasis on "winning the future" includes efforts to rein in government spending responsibly. Last night, he proposed a five-year freeze in annual domestic spending that he says will cut $400 billion from the deficit over the next decade. While critics say the president was too vague about his agenda -- how he would reach the goals he has laid out and what specific programs he would cut -- the White House says many of those details will be included in the budget for fiscal year 2012, set for release in mid-February.

The vice president was set to travel to Greenfield, IN today to an advanced battery plant where he planned to outline the president's new plan to reach an ambitious goal of making the United States the first country in the world to put 1 million advanced technology vehicles on the road by 2015.

AP

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill Wednesday while giving his assessment of President Obama's State of the Union address.

From NBC’s Luke Russert and Carrie Dann
The State of the Union reviews are in from House Speaker John Boehner.

“It was okay.”

Boehner offered the lukewarm assessment of the president’s speech while speaking at a press conference on a D.C. education program.

 The Ohio congressman did add that he “appreciated” Obama’s mention of Boehner’s working-class background. (He’s one of 12 children of a Cincinnati bar owner and became the first college graduate in his family after paying his way through Xavier University by working as a janitor.)

“There are a lot of us here who have had a chance at the American dream. I think the point we're making today is every person ought to have that shot,” Boehner said.

The House Speaker also said that he "had other obligations" and was unable to watch an unofficial Tea Party-sponsored response to the speech given by Rep. Michele Bachmann.

“I think all members, House and Senate, Democrat and Republicans, respond in their own ways,” he added, echoing the sentiment of some other Republican leaders who downplayed Bachmann’s response earlier this week.  “The more the merrier."

We're shooting another edition of Inside the Boiler Room today. Got a question for Mark and Domenico about the State of the Union, or what comes next? Post it below!

Obama’s “exceptional” speech… It was strongest at the beginning and end, but fell flat in the middle… Obama stresses the future over the past… Another take: It was a non-ideological speech that avoided details on the policy… CBS and CNN polls find that viewers reacted positively… Breaking down the GOP response… Why is Obama headed to Manitowoc, WI? Answer: It’s all about the Midwest… Obama’s speech there is at 1:00 pm ET… And Omaha mayor survives recall.

President Obama speaking at last night's State of the Union address.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** An “exceptional” speech: President Obama’s State of the Union address last night wasn’t exceptional in the traditional sense; it won’t have the shelf life that his earlier Tucson speech had. But it was exceptional in this respect -- it was his rebuttal to some conservatives critics who have charged that Obama doesn’t believe in “American exceptionalism” (i.e., the view that this country is uniquely different from other nations). “We do big things,” he said at the end of the speech. “From the earliest days of our founding, America has been the story of ordinary people who dare to dream. That’s how we win the future.” As NBC’s David Gregory put it, it was “a call to arms to reclaim American exceptionalism.” Going into the speech, we compared it to Clinton’s 1995 State of the Union and George W. Bush’s in 2003. But it was clear the president was trying to borrow a page from Reagan and his “shining city on a hill.” Said Obama last night: “The idea of America endures. Our destiny remains our choice. And tonight, more than two centuries later, it is because of our people that our future is hopeful, our journey goes forward, and the state of our union is strong."

*** The beginning, middle, and end: Obama’s strongest moments occurred at the beginning (when talking about the Giffords shooting and coming together) and the end (when he talked about America’s exceptional nature). But the middle was a bit flat. Part of that is the nature of State of the Union addresses, because they’re long and contain policy proposals and promises. (And while Team Obama stressed that the speech wouldn't be a laundry list, that's precisely what the middle was -- except the laundry list had less detail than usual.) But a big part of it had to do with the bipartisan seating arrangements and the somber tone in the wake of the Tucson shootings. Overall, the bipartisan seating made the speech more enjoyable to watch -- cutting out much of the grandstanding, with one side standing up and the other sitting on their hands -- but it also seemed to drain energy from the chamber. And most speakers, including Obama, usually thrive on the energy in the room or arena.

*** Future vs. past: Here’s another way to look at the speech: It was about the future vs. the past. Throughout it, Obama tried to seize the mantle of the future; after all, “Winning the Future” was the essential title of the address. “The future is ours to win,” he said. “But to get there, we can’t just stand still.” And by stressing the future, Obama made recent Republican actions -- like trying to repeal health care -- seem stuck in the past. “If you have ideas about how to improve this law by making care better or more affordable, I am eager to work with you,” he said. But: “[I]nstead of re-fighting the battles of the last two years, let’s fix what needs fixing and let’s move forward.”

*** The non-ideological speech: And consider this: Outside of defending the health-care law, the speech wasn’t ideological at all. It embraced both Democratic ideas (the importance of the social safety net and the DREAM Act, for example) and Republican ones (medical malpractice reform, corporate-tax reform). Another way to put: Obama’s conversation was aimed almost exclusively at the middle of the country. In most State of the Unions, a president throws bones to key constituency groups. But the bones he threw in this speech were very, very subtle; in fact, some progressives are grousing about lack of attention on this or lack of attention on that. As far as the policy, that was probably the weakest part of the night. How do you achieve getting 80% of America’s electricity from clean-energy sources? How else do you reduce the deficit besides freezing non-discretionary spending? How much will consolidating federal agencies save? The White House is surely saving those details for his upcoming budget.

*** How America viewed the speech: While some in the pundit class noted that the speech fell a bit flat, the instant polls have been positive for Team Obama. A CBS poll found that "91% of those who watched the speech approved of the proposals Mr. Obama put forth during his remarks. Only 9% disapproved." (Of course, there were probably more Obama supporters than opponents watching the speech, so a grain of salt here.) And per a CNN poll, a combined 84% had either a "very positive" reaction or a "somewhat positive" opinion to the speech.

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) delivers the
Republican response following President Obama's State of the Union speech.

*** The GOP response: As far as Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) GOP response, it was a fine speech -- and certainly much better than Bobby Jindal’s from two years ago. If there’s criticism of his rebuttal, though, it’s this: The speech was gloomy, especially compared with Obama’s positive and forward-looking address. “We are at a moment, where if government’s growth is left unchecked and unchallenged, America’s best century will be considered our past century,” Ryan said. “This is a future in which we will transform our social safety net into a hammock, which lulls able-bodied people into lives of complacency and dependency.” This will ultimately be a challenge for the Republicans competing against Obama in 2012. How do you both criticize his policies and chart a new course, but also remain optimistic? Ryan has a fairly sunny nature, and he had a hard time looking optimistic. This is NOT going to be easy for the actual presidential field.

*** All about the Midwest: So why is President Obama -- fresh off his State of the Union address -- visiting Manitowoc, WI today? Just look at these numbers: Obama captured 53% of the vote in this county in the ‘08 general election, but Republicans Scott Walker (in the governor’s race) and Ron Johnson (in the Senate contest) won 60% and 58% there in ‘10. Or these numbers: In the new NBC/WSJ poll, Obama’s approval rating in the Midwest is 56%, up 18 points (!!!) since December. Put simply, 2012 will be all about the Midwest. It’s why the president is in Wisconsin today. It’s why Vice President Biden is in Indiana. And it’s one of the reasons why St. Louis is probably the front-runner for the 2012 Dem convention, even though Obama lost Missouri in ’08. There was no region of the country that was more important to Obama’s success in ’08 (both in the primaries and general) -- and no other region where Dems took a bigger shellacking in 2010 -- than the Midwest. By the way, last night's speech felt, well, "midwestern" in tone -- non-ideological, not overly dramatic; very much the Kansan part of the president's DNA.

*** Manitowoc Man: Obama delivers his speech today in Manitowoc at 1:00 pm ET, and he tours Wisconsin companies before and after the address. Meanwhile, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus (a Wisconsin native) and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) held a conference call at 8:30 am ET to pre-but Obama’s visit to the state.

*** Omaha mayor survives recall: Finally, the mayor of Omaha, Jim Suttles (D), survived his recall. Writes the Omaha World Herald: “Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle says he has gotten the message. Suttle narrowly survived a recall effort Tuesday, less than 20 months after taking office. Victorious but chastened, he said he plans to do a better job communicating with Omahans. Suttle said he wants to help bring the city together.”

Countdown Chicago’s mayoral election: 27 days
Countdown to Election Day 2011: 286 days
Countdown to the Iowa caucuses: 376 days

* Note: When the IA caucuses take place depends on whether other states move up

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin of Ill., and Sen, Mark Kirk, (R-Ill) seen mingling prior to President Obama's State of the Union address.

“Obama repeatedly declared the imperative to "win the future," comparing the current need for innovation to the space race against the Soviet Union in the 1950s and '60s,” the Washington Post says. “Calling for more dedication to research and technology as he raised the specter of a rapidly growing China and India, Obama declared: ‘This is our generation's Sputnik moment.’” 

More: “Speaking less than three months after his party's defeat in the midterm elections, Obama struck notes of optimism and conciliation in an address that spanned 62 minutes and was interrupted at least 75 times for applause. The president spoke to a House chamber where traditionally segregated Republicans and Democrats mingled, and he acknowledged the unusual seating arrangement at the outset of his speech. But, Obama said: "What comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight, but whether we can work together tomorrow."

Roll Call: "Obama referenced 'jobs' 25 times and the word 'dream' 11 times as he described an America built by ordinary people who dared to dream." 

The New York Times: "Drawing a stark contrast between himself and Republicans, who are advocating immediate and deep cuts in spending, Mr. Obama laid out a philosophy of a government that could be more efficient but would still be necessary if the nation was to address fundamental challenges at home and abroad. 'We need to out-innovate, outeducate and outbuild the rest of the world,' he said. 'We have to make America the best place on earth to do business. We need to take responsibility for our deficit and reform our government. That’s how our people will prosper.'"

The New York Post calls it "King's speech!" on its cover and labels him "Bam, the 'Budget Hawk.'"

The New York Daily News' cover: "Barack to the Future."

The Boston Globe's headline: "Obama urges a freeze and shift in spending." 

The Hill leads with Obama's earmark veto pledge.

"As Senate Democrats praised President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday night and urged their Republican colleagues to abandon partisanship, the GOP responded with a deep yawn and a little bit of hope," Roll Call writes, adding, " But for [Senate Minority Leader] McConnell and many of his fellow Republicans, Obama did not go far enough on the issues of government spending, the federal deficit or the national debt, nor do they trust the president to follow through on even the portions of the address they found appealing." 

The New York Daily News has a photo of Mark Kelly holding his wife, Gabrielle Giffords', hand while they watched the speech. And it notes that before the speech when Secretary Clinton was wishing him luck, Obama said, "Everybody's already seen it," referring to leaked remarks. 

Worse than a yawn or skepticism, here's this fingers-in-the-ears Tweet from Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA): “Mr. President, you don’t believe in the Constitution. You believe in socialism." 

The New York Times editorial page liked the speech. “Tuesday night’s State of the Union address was President Obama’s chance to rise above that pinched vision, to help Americans understand that while government cannot do everything, it is indispensable in reviving the economy, spurring innovation, educating Americans and keeping them healthy and making the nation competitive globally. Mr. Obama took on those issues, and the Republicans, squarely. Rebutting their single-minded focus on slashing discretionary domestic spending, Mr. Obama said we have to 'stop pretending' that cutting this kind of spending 'alone will be enough.'" 

The Washington Post didn’t. "PRESIDENT OBAMA entered office promising to be a different kind of politician - one who would speak honestly with the American people about the hard choices they face and would help make those hard calls. Tuesday night's State of the Union Address would have been the moment to make good on that promise. He disappointed."

The Boston Globe's editorial board said the speech provided "the kind of straight talk that should build confidence in people in economically struggling corners of Massachusetts and other states from which old-line manufacturing jobs have fled. Those jobs won’t come back. But with a real commitment to education and to rebuilding the economic landscape — from roads and bridges to the tax code — and to investing in the most promising industries, such as renewable energy, people in those places and all across the country will get better jobs and have better futures."

More: "Obama should have given this speech earlier in his presidency, because it validated the promise of generational change and casting aside old resentments that helped vault him over Hillary Clinton and John McCain in 2008. And while his first two years saw many accomplishments, many were piecemeal and suggested an understandable lurching to answer crises. Meanwhile, his greatest win, health reform, seemed oddly disconnected from the immediate problems facing many Americans… This agenda is the truer progeny of his 2008 promise of hope and change." 

Here’s the take from NBC’s David Gregory: “Immediate reaction to the speech tonight is that it felt flat. The reaction was polite, but hardly rousing. It seemed hard for the President to feed off the audience even as he offered a speech that was soaring in its approach and reach. I describe it as a call to arms to reclaim American exceptionalism. The President mentioned more than once that there are qualities that set our nation apart from others. He talked more than once about winning the economic future. This was a down payment on his reelection campaign theme which will be how America comes back from near financial collapse stronger than before. It's an optimistic message but one that overlooks how fractious the debate about innovation and competitiveness will be with Republicans in Congress.”

Politics Daily's Melinda Henneberger: "Yes, the speech was laudable without ever making me want to cheer; it neither soared nor stumbled, but reminded us that everyone needs an editor. But it did succeed in presenting the president as the centrist he is, picking up on some Republican ideas while giving what in long stretches sounded like a U.S. Chamber of Commerce speech encouraging major investment in clean technology. I might have been set up for a bit of a disappointment when White House spokesman Robert Gibbs promised that this speech would not be the usual laundry list of hopes and dreams; in a long middle section, that's exactly what it was."

The New York Post's Charles Hurt asserts the president sounded more like a Tea Partier than the head of the Democratic Party. "The question now is whether the President Obama we heard last night was genuine -- or the speech was just another cynical political ploy by a Washington politician looking ahead to his re-election next year. Will Obama actually follow through and lead his party to join Republicans to lower the corporate tax rate, dramatically cut the deficit and finally put an end to the political pork spending that politician after politician has proved is the "gateway drug" to corruption? A glance at his record does not leave much room for hope." 

 BARBOUR: Barbour’s filings with the Mississippi Ethics Committee reveal “continued payments from the lobbying powerhouse he founded, BGR, and his withdrawals from a blind trust with a market value of $3.3 million, according to its trustee, the president off the Bank of Yazoo City Griffin Norquist,” Politico reports.

CHRISTIE: AP: "New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie last night declined to repay the feds $271 million spent on the Hudson River rail tunnel project, which he canceled in October, and said he'll file a formal appeal instead. The $8.7 billion project was the most expensive public-works project in the country when Christie spiked it. It would have doubled the capacity for trains traveling between New York City and New Jersey."

AP

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit on Tuesday.

GINGRICH: “Former House speaker and possible 2012 candidate Newt Gingrich called for the abolition of the Environmental Protection Agency in a Tuesday speech in Iowa,” Politico writes. Gingrich “also won the promise of a key Iowa endorsement if he does run for president. Linda Upmeyer, the Iowa House majority leader, introduced Gingrich and called him “the right guy to be president of the United States.”

Washington Post: “White House officials have been titling the [State of the Union] speech ‘Winning the Future’ - precisely the name of a 2005 Gingrich tome that also carries the subtitle: ‘A 21st Century Contract With America.’ It's not clear whether White House higher ups bothered to Google the phrase. Had they done so, they would have found easy links to the Amazon page for Gingrich's book.”

HUCKABEE: Members of Mike Huckabee’s inner circle “are concerned that while he weighs his options, other candidates are recruiting talented staff and building campaign infrastructure in early voting states,” The Hill writes.

PAWLENTY: The Hill explores a Pawlenty paradox in a profile of the former governor: “Although Pawlenty comes without many of the doubts social conservatives have about Mitt Romney, or those fiscal conservatives have about Mike Huckabee, or even those electability-minded conservatives have about Sarah Palin, he still struggles to attract anywhere near the amount of attention they do.”

PENCE: “Mike Pence says he met privately with the Governor Tuesday morning, and describes him as both a friend and ‘America's best Governor.’ Pence says he suspects he and Daniels are assessing their political plans in similar ways. Even if they end up facing off against each other in a Republican Presidential Primary, Pence says he believes it won't damage their relationship,” WSCI reports (h/t: Jim Geraghty of NRO)

VIRGINIA: "Former Virginia Sen. George Allen (R) is running against history as he makes a bid for his old seat in 2012: Just one former Senator in the past 50 years was defeated after serving a full term and then elected again to the chamber," Roll Call writes.

11:40 pm: That's all for First Read tonight. Look for lots of fresh analysis from the NBC politics team in tomorrow's First Thoughts. Thanks as always for following along!

11:37 pm: One last update as we get ready to sign off from a big night of live-blogging. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reported earlier tonight that Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, left the State of the Union after finding out that her son needed an appendectomy.

He's okay, the senator said tonight.

"Thanks for all the prayers for Matt. Appendix is out - with just a few hours before rupture - all is well," she tweeted.

11:33 pm: Via Luke Russert, one ardent conservative was pleased that Obama spoke at length about America's greatness.

Speaking to NBC News tonight, Rep. Allen West (R-FL), a spirited retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, commended Obama for his mentioning of "American Exceptionalism."

"When he talked about American exceptionalism and the American dream it was great to finally hear him say those type of things because it does make us unique in who we are," West said.

11:29 pm: More on that "socialism" tweet by Rep. Paul Broun, via Roll Call:

Broun spokeswoman Debbee Keller told Roll Call that her boss tweets about the address every year from the confines of his office, instead of attending the event in the House chamber. “Out of respect, he watches the President’s speech from his office and uses his desktop computer.”

NBC's Luke Russert notes that Broun has said outlandish things about Obama before. In March of 2010 he compared President Obama to "Snooki" from the MTV show "The Jersey Shore," saying "I don't know if we should be insulted or humored at the President's feeble attempts to incorporate Republican ideas into his latest health care proposal, Snookie [sic], from the Jersey Shore, has more substance than President Obama's offer."

11:26 pm: Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, a Democrat, liked the president's remarks - saying his focus on the economy "hit exactly the right notes" -- but she would have liked more specifics on the debt.

“I think the best thing the President did was explain the transition of the economy so the average person can understand it," she said in a statement. "But I was disappointed by the absence of an overall formula to deal with the very serious and worsening deficit.”

11:18 pm: Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., commented on Obama's Sputnik reference in his response to the speech.

"The president’s biggest push was to advance an argument he has made many times in the past – that the government is a vital partner in making investments and spurring innovation.  The problem is we’ve had countless Sputnik moments in recent decades that have created little more than space junk."

11:14 pm: At least one congressman was tweeting his responses to Obama's remarks during the speech itself, and he wasn't happy with what he was hearing.

Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga., wrote on his Twitter feed during the speech - among other critiques  - "Mr. President, you don't believe in the Constitution. You believe in socialism."

11:12 pm: Bachmann camera shot explained: Reports say she was looking into the Tea Party Express camera, not the network pool camera operated by Fox News.

11:06 pm: Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a Democrat who campaigned against some Obama policies and faces a re-election race in 2012, praised Obama's call for civility but raised questions about his strategy for addressing the deficit. "I appreciate the President’s call for a freeze on existing spending, but I am, frankly, concerned to hear him signal additional new spending by the federal government, and I will carefully evaluate his proposals. The fact is, we must deal with our long-term debt problems in a responsible way that does not burden our children and grandchildren with more debt."

He also disagrees with the president's call to ban earmarks. "I truly believe that spending geared toward infrastructure – when done in a transparent manner – is a commonsense investment in countless communities in West Virginia and around the country," he said in a statement.

11:04 pm: In a tweet, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., says she enjoyed the seating arrangement at SOTU.

"Liked bipartisan seating tonight.Less like a team sporting event,more serious"  

11:03 pm: Ouch - Sen. John Cornyn of Texas: "In Texas we prefer straight talk and promises kept, over grandiose pledges and zero results."

10:58 pm: House Speaker John Boehner, in a statement, said that he's glad Obama "recognizes the need" to reach across the aisle, but he bemoaned Obama's spending proposals.

"As I've stated in the past, when the president is willing to work with us on the people's priorities, we'll be ready to work with him. Unfortunately, even as he talked about the need for fiscal discipline, President Obama called for more 'stimulus' spending without making a commitment to the cuts and reforms the American people are demanding."

Boehner called the "partial" spending freeze "inadequate."

10:57 pm: Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts told NBC News that he thought Obama's remarks hit on "good points."

"It wasn't a ra-ra speech but it was balanced and it hit on a lot of good points," Brown said. "As a Republican I'm looking forward to working with him and finding some common ground to move our country forward."

Brown's up for re-election in blue Massachusetts in 2012.

10:56 pm: Bachmann's remarks now complete. We'll bring you a few more from lawmakers and organizations as we get 'em.  

10:55 pm: Lots of Twitter traffic about how Bachmann appeared to be looking slightly off to the right of the camera rather than right into the lens...

10:54 pm: Bachmann shows famous image of six young soldiers at Iwo Jima.

"Our current debt crisis we face today is different, but we still need all of us to pull together. We can do this."

10:53 pm: Bachmann: "Thanks to you, there's reason to hope that real spending cuts are coming. Last November you went to the polls and voted out big-spending politicians and you put in their place men and women with a commitment to follow the Constitution and cut the size of government."

10:52 pm: Like Ryan, Bachmann offers strong words about health care and calls for its reform. "In the end, unless we fully repeal ObamaCare, a nation that currently enjoys the world's best healthc  re may be forced to rely on government-run coverage that will have a devastating impact on our national debt for generations to come."

10:51 pm: Bachmann: "Deficits were unacceptably high under President Bush, but they exploded under President Obama's direction, growing the national debt by an astounding $3.1 trillion-dollars."

10:50 pm: She's got charts! Bachmann uses a visual aid to show unemployment rates over the last 10 years.

10:50 pm: Right off the bat, Bachmann notes that she's not the official GOP representative responding to the speech. She says she's speaking at the invitation of the Tea Party Express.

10:49 pm: Bachmann's remarks are starting now.

10:45 pm: If you missed Ryan's speech, you can watch the video here.

10:43 pm: Mayor Michael Bloomberg, also a gun control advocate, is also unhappy that Obama did not mention gun laws.

"... in discussing the terrible tragedy in Tucson, he missed an opportunity to bring the country together on an issue that has support among the vast majority of Americans: fixing the nation's broken background check system that is designed to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. Its absence was disappointing, but it will not slow the momentum we are building around the country, and in both parties, for common sense measures to strengthen law enforcement and improve public safety."

10:42 pm: Gun control advocate Rep. Carolyn McCarthy says in a statement that she's "disappointed" that Obama didn't speak about gun control laws.

10:37 pm: Meanwhile, the responses from lawmakers continue to pour in.

In a video response, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky slammed Obama's overtures to moderates as shallow. "President Obama will try to run to the center, to emulate President Clinton after the Republicans took over in 1994. But it hurts him, and he isn't quite as good at it as his predecessor."

10:36 pm: Michele Bachmann will be speaking shortly. You can watch the stream online here:

Only one television network - CNN -- is taking Bachmann's unofficial response live to air.

10:35 pm: Ryan and Obama both spoke about the uniqueness of America. Ryan, tonight: "These are not easy times, but America is an exceptional nation. In all the chapters of human history, there has never been anything quite like America. The American story has been cherished, advanced, and defended over the centuries."

10:35 pm: Notes NBC's Chuck Todd: "Obama was trying to sell optimism, [but] Paul Ryan has a more somber message."

10:34 pm: Ryan: "We believe a renewed commitment to limited government will unshackle our economy and create millions of new jobs and opportunities for all people, of every background, to succeed and prosper. Under this approach, the spirit of initiative - not political clout - determines who succeeds."

10:33 pm: Referencing debt crises in Greece and Iceland, Ryan says "Speaking candidly, as one citizen to another: We still have time… but not much time. If we continue down our current path, we know what our future will be."

10:30 pm: Fun Ryan fact: After the 2008 election, some - including an editorial in the Wall Street Journal - encouraged Ryan to challenge then-Minority Leader John Boehner as leader of the GOP in the House. The editorial said Ryan was equipped, especially because of his "youthful energy," with the ability to "pull his party in a more promising direction." Ryan obviously decided against it.

10:30 pm: On government spending: "We owe you a better choice and a different vision."

10:28 pm: He slams health care reform. "Job creation is being stifled by all of its taxes, penalties, mandates and fees."

He references House Republicans' vote to repeal the law week.

10:27 pm: "Since taking office, President Obama has signed into law spending increases of nearly 25% for domestic government agencies - an 84% increase when you include the failed stimulus."

10:26 pm: Ryan: "Tonight, the President focused a lot of attention on our economy in general - and on our deficit and debt in particular. He was right to do so, and some of his words were reassuring. As Chairman of the House Budget Committee, I assure you that we want to work with the President to restrain federal spending."

10:26 pm: "We all miss Gabby and her cheerful spirit; and we are praying for her return to the House Chamber."

10:25 pm: Here's Ryan. He's speaking from the House Budget Committee meeting room.

10:18 pm: We'll be live-blogging reaction to the president's State of the Union speech here, including the official GOP reaction from Rep. Paul Ryan and the (unofficial) Tea Party response from Rep. Michele Bachmann.

As one of us wrote earlier today, Ryan was first elected to the House in 1998 at age 28. He was once offered the job of budget director for President George W. Bush. (He turned the job down to stay in Congress, where he rocketed to the top of the budget panel two years later.)

10:15 pm: Stay tuned to First Read -- we'll start another thread shortly for reaction to the president's speech.

Thanks for following along.

10:14 pm: CBS's Mark Knoller had the stopwatch. The State of the Union clocked in at 1 hour, 1 minute, and 36 seconds.

10:13 pm: "The idea of America endures. Our destiny remains our choice. And tonight, more than two centuries later, it is because of our people that our future is hopeful, our journey goes forward, and the state of our union is strong."

10:11 pm: "We do big things. From the earliest days of our founding, America has been the story of ordinary people who dare to dream. That's how we win the future."

10:09 pm: Obama refers to Boehner's upbringing to much applause. "That [American[ dream is why someone who began by sweeping the floors of his father's Cincinnati bar can preside as Speaker of the House in the greatest nation on Earth."

Did he cry? Hard to see - might have wiped his eyes, but no waterworks.

10:07 pm: Expounding on what makes our democracy great, Obama says "We should have no illusions about the work ahead of us. Reforming our schools; changing the way we use energy; reducing our deficit -none of this is easy. All of it will take time. And it will be harder because we will argue about everything. The cost. The details. The letter of every law."

10:06 pm: In the wake of Congress's successful passage of the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Obama calls for all college campuses "to open their doors to our military recruiters and the ROTC."

"It is time to leave behind the divisive battles of the past. It is time to move forward as one nation."

10:05 pm: Prolonged applause for this line: "We must never forget that the things we've struggled for, and fought for, live in the hearts of people everywhere. And we must always remember that the Americans who have borne the greatest burden in this struggle are the men and women who serve our country."

10:02 pm: "Obama to al Qaeda: "We have sent a message from the Afghan border to the Arabian Peninsula to all parts of the globe: we will not relent, we will not waver, and we will defeat you."

10:01 pm: Tom Curry notes that Obama does not mention Gitmo in this address.

Here's what he said in his 2009 address to Congress: "“there is no force in the world more powerful than the example of America. That is why I have ordered the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, and will seek swift and certain justice for captured terrorists – because living our values doesn’t make us weaker, it makes us safer…”

10:00 pm: Big applause when Obama says Americans have "the conviction that American Muslims are a part of our American family."

9:56 pm: Obama: "Because the American people deserve to know that special interests aren't larding up legislation with pet projects, both parties in Congress should know this: if a bill comes to my desk with earmarks inside, I will veto it."

That was a promise that didn't go over very well earlier today with Democratic Sen. Harry Reid.

Reid argued today that eliminating earmarks would just give the president more discretion over spending, and he "has enough power already." Reid said that calls to ban earmarks are just a "lot of pretty talk."

9:55 pm: Another joke: "Then there's my favorite example: the Interior Department is in charge of salmon while they're in fresh water, but the Commerce Department handles them in when they're in saltwater. And I hear it gets even more complicated once they're smoked."

9:52 pm: Obama makes a plug for malpractice reform. "I'm willing to look at other ideas to bring down costs, including one that Republicans suggested last year: medical malpractice reform to rein in frivolous lawsuits."

Seconds later, the American Association for Justice (formerly known as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America) sends out a response: "As many as 98,000 people die every year from preventable medical errors, with countless more injured.  President Obama should direct his focus towards tackling this startling figure, not promoting efforts that could eliminate the legal rights of patients."

9:50 pm: Obama: "I recognize that some in this Chamber have already proposed deeper cuts, and I'm willing to eliminate whatever we can honestly afford to do without. But let's make sure that we're not doing it on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens. And let's make sure what we're cutting is really excess weight."

9:48 pm: Not a lot of applause for Obama's spending freeze proposal...

9:47 pm: Rep. Giffords' office has released a new photo of the congresswoman and her husband Mark Kelly watching the speech from her hospital bed in Houston. Check it out here, via KVOA.

9:45 pm: Some chuckles for this: "Now, I've heard rumors that a few of you have some concerns about the new health care law."

Obama says he's open to some improvements, referencing an unpopular "bookkeeping burden" (1099 forms) as an item that could be changed. There is pending legislation to nix that requirement.

"What I'm not willing to do is go back to the days when insurance companies could deny someone coverage because of a pre-existing condition ... So instead of re-fighting the battles of the last two years, let's fix what needs fixing and move forward."

9:43 pm: Earlier tidbit from Kelly O: By lip reading, Sen. Barbara Boxer said to the President as he was walking in: "Here's my date," referring to GOP colleague John Mica.

(Boxer and Mica are both going to be on MSNBC's The Last Word tonight.)

9:41 pm: On the tax code: "I'm asking Democrats and Republicans to simplify the system. Get rid of the loopholes. Level the playing field. And use the savings to lower the corporate tax rate for the first time in 25 years - without adding to our deficit."

9:40 pm: Some chuckles for this joke: "Within 25 years, our goal is to give 80% of Americans access to high-speed rail, which could allow you go places in half the time it takes to travel by car. For some trips, it will be faster than flying - without the pat-down."

9:37 pm: More on immigration: "Let's stop expelling talented, responsible young people who can staff our research labs, start new businesses, and further enrich this nation.

The DREAM Act, which Obama supported, would have allowed a path to citizenship for some young illegal immigrations who came to the U.S. as children. That legislation failed at the end of the last Congress.

9:37 pm: "I strongly believe that we should take on, once and for all, the issue of illegal immigration. I am prepared to work with Republicans and Democrats to protect our borders, enforce our laws and address the millions of undocumented workers who are now living in the shadows."

9:34 pm: Speaker Bohhener's office just sent out a fact check on Obama's claim that "the steps we’ve taken over the last two years may have broken the back of this recession." The speaker counters that the stimulus "did not work" and that unemployment remains high.

9:34 pm: "In fact, to every young person listening tonight who's contemplating their career choice: If you want to make a difference in the life of our nation; if you want to make a difference in the life of a child - become a teacher. Your country needs you."

9:32 pm: NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports: Aides to Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski say she has left the House chamber to join her family at hospital due to son's surgery.

"She was in the House chamber just prior to the speech when she got word that her youngest son was scheduled for an appendectomy tonight, so she headed straight for GWU hospital."

9:30 pm: "We need to teach our kids that it's not just the winner of the Super Bowl who deserves to be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair." Obama's beloved Chicago Bears barely missed the big game after a tough loss Sunday.

9:26 pm: Obama asks congress to "eliminate the billions in taxpayer dollars we currently give to oil companies." Biden claps. Not so much Speaker Boehner.

9:22 pm: Obama: "We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world. We have to make America the best place on Earth to do business."

9:21 pm: Feels like we're on track for a lot less rowdy applause lines, especially given the bipartisan seating. Last year, he stopped over 100 times for clapping.

9:20 pm: Obama: "The future is ours to win. But to get there, we can’t just stand still."

9:20 pm: "Nations like China and India realized that with some changes of their own, they could compete in this new world." Obama will mention China four times tonight according to prepared remarks.

9:19 pm: Obama: "The rules have changed. In a single generation, revolutions in technology have transformed the way we live, work and do business. Steel mills that once needed 1,000 workers can now do the same work with 100.  Today, just about any company can set up shop, hire workers, and sell their products wherever there’s an internet connection."

9:18 pm: Tom Curry notes: Obama had a brief word as he was coming in with Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill. who beat Obama in the 2000 primary.

9:17 pm: Obama: "We are poised for progress. Two years after the worst recession most of us have ever known, the stock market has come roaring back. Corporate profits are up. The economy is growing again."

He's recently extended olive branches to the business community, including in his selection of a new chief of staff Bill Daley -- a choice lauded by the Chamber of Commerce.

9:16 pm: "At stake right now is not who wins the next election – after all, we just had an election."

9:15 pm: Speaking of bipartisanship, there's wide disagreement about exactly what color Barack Obama's tie is. But looks like it could be a party-neutral purple.

9:14 pm: Obama alludes to the bipartisan seating at tonight's speech. "What comes of this moment is up to us. What comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight, but whether we can work together tomorrow."

9:13 pm: Referencing the shooting tragedy, Obama says: "Tucson reminded us that no matter who we are or where we come from, each of us is a part of something greater – something more consequential than party or political preference."

9:12 pm: In the first minute, Obama says he is "mindful of the empty chair in this Chamber." We "pray for the health of our colleague – and our friend – Gabby Giffords."  Standing ovation.

Giffords is in a rehabilitation center in Texas with her husband Mark Kelly tonight.

9:11 pm: "Tonight I want to begin by congratulating the men and women of the 112th Congress, as well as your new Speaker, John Boehner." Lots of applause acknowledging the new members.

9:10 pm: Here we go. Boehner presents the President of the United States.

9:09 pm: Obama now greeting and shaking hands with the Supreme Court justices attending the SOTU. Big smiles for his newest confirmed nominee, Elena Kagan.

9:08 pm: Pretty cool, a word cloud of the speech.

9:06 pm: Obama now makes his way slowly down the center aisle of the chamber, greeting members as the lawmakers applaud and cheer.

9:05 pm: The president is entering the chamber now.

9:02 pm: They're just like us! House members had to guard their seats throughout the afternoon if they wanted prime spots for the speech. Colorado Rep. Ed Permutter tweeted: "Took shift w [Rep. Cory] Gardner to protect CO seats at SOTU. Other dels wish they as org as we are." (via NBC's Shawna Thomas)

9:00 pm: The president's cabinet (minus designated successor Secretary Salazar) is now entering the chamber.

8:58 pm: Michelle Obama is in the chamber. She's wearing a grey (maybe silver?), long-sleeved dress.

8:57 pm: The Supreme Court justices are now being introduced and seated. Six of them are here today. NBC's Pete Williams wrote about the attendees earlier today here.

8:56 pm: Here's the full text of Rep. Paul Ryan's response to the State of the Union address, as prepared for delivery.

8:53 pm: The first televised State of the Union address was Harry Truman’s in 1947. But it took almost two decades for the address to be moved to evening to attract a larger national audience.

President Lyndon Johnson was the first to move the speech to 9 pm ET in 1965. The following year, the first opposition response from the president’s opposing political party was given; Sen. Everett Dirksen of Illinois and Rep. Gerald Ford of Michigan delivered the Republican rebuttal to Johnson.

8:52 pm: "The Joint Session willl come to order," says Speaker Boehner.

And the president has arrived at the Capitol.

8:48 pm: With senators and representives taking their seats, lots of chatter on who's sitting with whom.

Some of the noteworthy couples:

On the Senate side:
Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer and Republican Sen. Tom Coburn
Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions
Democrat Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Republican Sen. John Thune

And from the House side:
The former and current House Oversight and Governmental Affairs chairmen, Democrat Ed Towns and Republican Darrell Issa.
New York delegation foes Rep. Anthony Weiner (D) and Rep. Pete King (R).

The media attention that “prom night” has received has irked a few of the idea’s supporters. At a press conference today, Sen. Lisa Murkowski cautioned that reporters shouldn’t focus too much on the gossipy nature of the “who’s-going-with-who?” chatter. “There are no cooties to be had between Republicans and Democrats,” she said.

And some folks are going stag. Via CNN, Democrat Sen. Jim Webb said he won't be bringing a date. "It's a little silly but it's not harmful," he said. "I've got a lot of friends who are Republicans, and I don't quite see walking up to them and asking them if they want to sit with me.

8:45 pm: Beginning with President Ronald Reagan in 1982, presidents have traditionally asked guests of honor to sit with the First Lady at the State of the Union address.  These guests are sometimes referred to as “Lenny Skutniks” after the first guest invited to sit in what’s often called “the Heroes’ Gallery.”

Skutnik, a former government office assistant, is known for his heroic rescue of a woman who was among the passengers of an Air Florida flight that crashed into the Potomac River in January 1982.

This year’s “Skutniks” include the parents of Christina Taylor (the nine-year-old girl killed in Tucson earlier this month) as well as Daniel Hernandez, the intern who helped to save the life of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords after the shooting. Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta will also sit with the first lady, as well as several other military veterans and entrepreneurs.  

8:42 pm: The president and first lady have just departed the White House en route to the Capitol.

8:41 pm: From Shawna Thomas: Here's what a lot of U.S. senators waiting to get into the State of the Union looks like.

8:35 pm: There's no mention in the president's prepared remarks about gun control. NBC House producer Shawna Thomas sends on this response from gun control advocate Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, who ran for Congress after her husband was shot and her son seriously injured in 1993:

"I know he has a number of family members here from the victims. I know The doctors and the nurses that've been taking care of gabby is here.  The President is known to speak off the cuff every once in a while. But you know what, It's my job to meet with him, sit down with him and talk with him. I can understand if nothing is said tonight. But let's wait and see what he says. If not, I'll still go forward and push him."

8:33 pm: NBC Senate producer Ken Strickland says he's standing outside the Senate chamber, where senators are gathering to prepare to walk through the Capitol to the House chamber. Several of them are wearing black and white ribbons on their lapels in commemoration of the victims of the Tucson shootings.

8:27 pm: As reported earlier today, Obama will also call for a five-year freeze on non-defense government spending.

So tonight, I am proposing that starting this year, we freeze annual domestic spending for the next five years. This would reduce the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade, and will bring discretionary spending to the lowest share of our economy since Dwight Eisenhower was president.

As my colleague Tom Curry points out, the numbers on non-defense discretionary spending pale in comparison to what a freeze in overall spending would save. (Discretionary non-security spending makes up only 13 percent of the $3.7 trillion budget.)

 Says Tom: “Just as a thought experiment -- how about a five-year freeze on mandatory spending? That would save $954 billion over what the Congressional Budget Office is currently forecasting for 2011-2015. And a five-year freeze on defensespending would save $269 billion over what CBO is currently forecasting.”

Republicans appear to be unsatisfied with a mere freeze in spending, saying that much deeper cuts are necessary. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., told the Huffington Post today that Obama’s plan is simply “not enough.”  

And Republican Sen. Jim DeMint just tweeted this: "Our debt crisis demands spending cuts, not a freeze. When a car speeds toward a cliff, you hit the brakes, not cruise control."

8:25 pm: Per the prepared remarks, Obama will speak about the health care law that he signed into law last year -- with a little bit of sarcasm.

"I’ve heard rumors that a few of you have some concerns about the new health care law," he'll say.

8:21 pm: More history facts: The modern State of the Union – a wide-ranging outline of the president’s legislative agenda delivered to a joint session of Congress – began with President Woodrow Wilson, who in 1913 gave the first in-person annual message since Jefferson’s era.  

Only about a third of the over 220 annual messages and State of the Union addresses in American history have been delivered in person by the president.

8:16 pm: NBC's Savannah Guthrie reports that the "designated successor" tonight is Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

The tradition of selecting one Cabinet member to skip the State of the Union dates back to the 1960s. The absence of one administration official ensures a smooth transition of power in case of a catastrophic event.

Last year, the designated successor was Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan.

8:11 pm: The full text of the speech as prepared for delivery is here.

8:06 pm: The White House has released the speech as prepared for delivery. We'll have the full remarks to you soon -- but here's a quick count of how many times the president will say some of the key words that we've been keeping an eye out for:

Job - 31
Investment - 7
Business - 20
Bipartisan - 2
Economy - 7
Education - 10
Spending - 11
Deficit - 11
China - 4
Health care - 4

8:00 pm: This year's SOTU has featured a unique flutter of anticipation in the weeks leading up to the speech: Who's got a date?

Some members of both parties will be sitting intermingled together - rather than in rigidly divided partisan blocs - in the chamber for the first time in the modern era.

The bipartisan seating idea was proposed by centrist group Third Way, which suggested in a letter to congressional leaders earlier this month that mixing up the seating could help “avoid the spectacle of one side jumping up to applaud and the other sitting glumly.”  (You can read Domenico Montanaro's report on Third Way's proposals here.)

Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado picked up on the idea and penned an open letter to his colleagues in Congress urging them to follow suit. As of this morning, 59 Republicans and Democrats had officially signed on, and many more have announced their "dates" to the speech.

7:49 pm: Per NBC's Luke Russert, the theme of President Obama's speech tonight sounds awfully familiar to some Republicans. The focus of the speech, "Winning the Future" -- also happens to be the title of a  book written by a man who might try to take Obama's job in 2012. Former Speaker of the House (and possible GOP presidential contender) Newt Gingrich wrote "Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract with America" in 2005. That's not lost on Gingrich-headed group American Solutions, which has a wry statement on its website now about the wording.

"While we're flattered the president is using our language (I wonder if he read the book?), we're more interested in whether his speech focuses on winning the future for politicians or for the American people."

7:42 pm: The president's reported reference to Sputnik is getting some social media traction. In addition to the hashtag #sotu, "Sputnik" is currently trending on Twitter nationwide. (And according to Google Trends, the nation is also currently setting its collective TiVo: "What time is the state of the union address 2011?" is Google's #5 hot search.)

7:39 pm: A first of many of tonight's tidbits of SOTU history, courtesy of the Congressional Research Service:

The first State of the Union was delivered by President George Washington before a joint session of Congress in 1790. Washington’s address was just 1089 words long. (Compare that to Obama’s address last year, which clocked in at 7444 words.)

John Adams followed his predecessor’s lead, giving his annual address in person. But Thomas Jefferson decried the practice as “monarchial” – too much like the British “Speech from the Throne” – and chose instead to send written messages to both houses of Congress that were then read by clerks in each chamber. 

(Some historians speculate that Jefferson had another reason for declining to deliver his oratory in person; he wasn’t regarded as a particularly inspiring public speaker, and his inaugural address had recently been panned.)

7:30 pm ET: Welcome to First Read's live-blog of the State of the Union address. The president is scheduled to begin speaking just after 9:00.

Excerpts from Obama's speech -- and from the official GOP response by Rep. Paul Ryan as well as an unofficial Tea Party reaction speech by Rep. Michele Bachmann -- have already been released.

According to excerpts released by the White House, Obama will say that this is "our generation's Sputnik moment," and he will call for "shared responsibility" between parties. You can read the excerpts here.  You can read some of Ryan's remarks hereand Bachmann's here.

Visit First Read all night for live updates, historical factoids, and background about past State of the Union addresses.

The first official picture of Sputnik, the Russian satellite, from Oct. 9, 1957.

Here are early excerpts of President Obama's State of the Union speech, per the White House:

With their votes, the American people determined that governing will now be a shared responsibility between parties. New laws will only pass with support from Democrats and Republicans. We will move forward together, or not at all - for the challenges we face are bigger than party, and bigger than politics.

At stake right now is not who wins the next election - after all, we just had an election. At stake is whether new jobs and industries take root in this country, or somewhere else. It's whether the hard work and industry of our people is rewarded. It's whether we sustain the leadership that has made America not just a place on a map, but a light to the world. We are poised for progress. Two years after the worst recession most of us have ever known, the stock market has come roaring back. Corporate profits are up. The economy is growing again.

But we have never measured progress by these yardsticks alone. We measure progress by the success of our people. By the jobs they can find and the quality of life those jobs offer. By the prospects of a small business owner who dreams of turning a good idea into a thriving enterprise. By the opportunities for a better life that we pass on to our children.  That's the project the American people want us to work on. Together.
…

Half a century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik¸ we had no idea how we'd beat them to the moon. The science wasn't there yet. NASA didn't even exist.

But after investing in better research and education, we didn't just surpass the Soviets; we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs.

This is our generation's Sputnik moment.

In the official GOP response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech tonight, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., will tell viewers that those in his party "owe you a better choice and a different vision" on spending and the nation's budget.

In an excerpt released to the press and on his Facebook page, Ryan, the new chairman of the House Budget Committee, says that the country is understandably "skeptical" of those on both sides of the aisle, and that the new GOP budget will address debt reduction.

"Americans are skeptical of both political parties, and that skepticism is justified – especially when it comes to spending.  So hold all of us accountable.  In this very room, the House will produce, debate, and advance a budget.  Last year – in an unprecedented failure– Congress chose not to pass, or even propose a budget.  The spending spree continued unchecked.  We owe you a better choice and a different vision.  Our forthcoming budget is our obligation to you – to show you how we intend to do things differently … how we will cut spending to get the debt down… help create jobs and prosperity … and reform government programs.”

Ryan, who was first elected to the House in 1998 at age 28, is a leading voice among fiscal conservatives on the Hill. He was once offered the job of budget director for President George W. Bush. (He turned the job down to stay in Congress, where he rocketed to the top of the budget panel two years later.)

Beginning at around 8 pm ET tonight, First Read will be live-blogging President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address. Msnbc.com will also offer a live video stream of the speech.

Visit First Read throughout the evening for updates and analysis from our political team in Washington D.C.