Blue Star Chronicles

Watch the so-called Obama State of the Union Address on Tuesday, February 24th 2009 on a live video stream feed with live-blogging commentary that will be simulcast on both Blue Star Chronicles and Right Pundits.

Read the transcript below as well and see the final video. Although the Obama speech to Congress’ joint session is not technically a “State of the Union” address his team is secretly calling it one and it has the same aura.

President Obama is addressing a joint session of Congress, so the only difference from a State of the Union address is that this first speech to Congress is occurring in February instead of January. What time is Obama’s address to Congress? 6pm Pacific Time, 9pm Eastern Time. Watch the live streaming video below.

A transcript of the Obama State of the Union speech is not difficult to find. Everyone and their brother has published it, but pundits are still scratching their heads.

The Obama Congressional address is obviously important. In a short five week period, the president has squandered much of the good will that was built up before and after the election. The country is perhaps maturing as the attractive campaign message of “hope” does not match the performance in office. His public opinion polls are sagging alarmingly for a new president, and he has already made several major stumbles.

Three of Obama’s cabinet appointment never made it to a congressional hearing. They withdrew due to scandals and investigations. Expect that Obama will not address these scandals in his speech to Congress, so do not ask if we have serendipitously edited the live video feed.

Meanwhile, the president promoted a huge spending boondoggle known to backers as the “Obama stimulus plan” and to opponents as “pork.” His own administration admits it will not stimulate much, at least not for a while. The plan lost much public support, and Obama’s favorability ratings fell as a result. The bill squandered the hope for bipartisanship in Washington as it got almost no support from the GOP. In an effort to regain lost support, Obama’s first Address to Congress will trumpet the pork-laden stimulus plan as a win of sorts, so watch for that in the live feed TV. This will be one of those moments were Democrat members uncomfortably cheer while Republicans sit on their hands with political glee.

But the reality is the unemployment rate rose alarmingly since Obama took office as businesses are wary of what is coming next from Washington. The stock market has plunged 30% in a month while he sends trial balloons of nationalizing industries. Such missteps have caused the administration to quickly backtrack when the consequences are felt by working Americans. Obama will address the banking industry in his congressional speech but expect it will do little to quiet alarmed markets.

Abroad there is war in the air as other nations are seemingly taking advantage of an inexperienced leader in the White House. Russia is challenging the new administration at every turn, prompting our allies to turncoat on military bases that are crucial to a successful effort to beat the Taliban. Meanwhile, the president of Pakistan made a deal with those same Taliban, perhaps thumbing his nose at Obama for bravado comments made during the campaign. Obama threatened to invade Pakistan during the primary fight with Hillary Clinton. Now the U.S. is paying the price for undesirable campaign rhetoric.

Iraq is angry over poor communications with the Obama team. Iran is almost ready with a nuclear weapon and it appears that Israel will be forced into war unless Obama acts swiftly to influence Iran. And North Korea is readying to fire a long-range missile figuratively over Hillary Clinton’s head. But who cares about the world around us when the economy is in recession and Obama seems to take sardonic pleasure in talking it down to the alarm of Americans.

Barack Obama will address foreign affairs in his first speech to Congress but do not expect any specifics because the specifics are grim. He will talk in the general platitudes that we are all familiar with already, that America is becoming a kinder, gentler nation which wants to work with friend and foe alike. Most of this speech will be dedicated to the economy, both righting the problems that his new administration created and the problems he inherited from the big-government president who preceded him.

So watch the Obama speech on the live stream video feed below and join us for an interesting live-blogging night. Right Pundits and Blue Star Chronicles bloggers will be offering their views on Obama’s congressional speech, and you are invited to join the conversation with your own observations.

So turn on both the live feed TV and the live-blogging widget. Just don’t call it a State of the Union address, because Obama would have to say it is not strong yet. The transcript will also be available below later.