Liveblogging Obama's address to Congress

President Barack Obama has just walked into the House chamber to deliver his first official address to Congress. He's shaking hands now as he approaches the podium.

Here we go!

6:18 PM: Obama did a beautiful job of explaining how we got into the mess we're in, laying out the mistakes and missed opportunities of the Bush error and the last few decades in stark detail. He thanked Congress for passing the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, and promised that the hundreds of billions that Congress appropriated would be spent transparently and wisely.

6:26 PM: "Nobody messes with Joe" ... great line!

6:28 PM: The flow of credit is the lifeblood of our economy, Obama notes. We need to restart lending, or economic recovery is going to be choked off. Oh, and Wall Street bankers... the Obama administration is watching you!

6:36 PM: Good to hear Obama calling for sacrifice and a new way of looking at our budget - as a blueprint for the future of America. And it's wonderful to hear him talking about our common wealth as a foundation for economic prosperity. As he said, government doesn't supplant private enterprise when it invests, it acts as a catalyst to help businesses everywhere.

6:40 PM: Obama just asked Congress to send him legislation that would put a cap on carbon emissions and set up a market for polluters to trade carbon credits. And he called for greater investment in renewable energy.

6:42 PM: The time for healthcare reform is now! Obama notes that in the last month, Congress passed legislation to expand healthcare coverage for children. He declared that every American ought to have quality, affordable healthcare. We agree: healthcare must be a right. It's not a privilege.

6:48 PM: Agreed - we need to strengthen our schools. The President is asking all of us to do our part, to step up to the plate.

And so tonight, I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship.

But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma. And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It's not just quitting on yourself, it's quitting on your country - and this country needs and values the talents of every American.

6:54 PM: An end to tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas - it's about time!

6:56 PM: We're going back to honest budgeting practices:

That is why this budget looks ahead ten years and accounts for spending that was left out under the old rules - and for the first time, that includes the full cost of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. For seven years, we have been a nation at war. No longer will we hide its price.

And we're going to pursue a responsible end to the occupation of Iraq.

7:01 PM: Obama uses a great phrase to describe our symbiotic relationship with the other nations of the world:

In words and deeds, we are showing the world that a new era of engagement has begun.

For we know that America cannot meet the threats of this century alone, but the world cannot meet them without America.

7:09 PM: The speech just ended, with a couple of heartening stories and inspiring rhetorical flourishes. It was forceful, yet unifying at the same time.