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AP Obama water-carrier Jennifer Loven takes a slap at Republicans for criticizing President Obama’s 9pm Eastern address tonight to a joint session of Congress:

“Comments on Obama’s address came in early from Republicans, many hours before he had uttered a word.”

Loven filed her 826-word article on Obama’s speech at 3:22pm Eastern — “many hours before he had uttered a word.”

Standing before a nation on an economic precipice, President Barack Obama aimed to balance candor with can-do Tuesday night in his first address to a joint session of Congress. Millions more anxious Americans were tuning in on TV.

Obama was arguing that his still-unfolding economic revival plan has room for—even demands—a broader agenda including dramatic increases in health care coverage and wiser, “greener” fuel use. He was addressing an ebullient Democratic congressional majority and an embattled but reinvigorated GOP minority as well as worried viewers at home.

Just five weeks after his inauguration, Obama wasn’t charged with producing a formal State of the Union status report. But for all intents and purposes, that’s what it was: a night for the president to sketch out his priorities in a setting unmatched the rest of the year.

He enters the chamber to lawmakers of both parties hanging into the aisle for a chance to shake his hand or exchange a word. The gallery is filled, including a special section hosted by first lady Michelle Obama in which guests are selected to serve as living symbols of the president’s goals. Cramming the floor are the leaders of the federal government: Supreme Court justices, all but one Cabinet member—held away in case disaster strikes—and nearly every member of Congress.

(Hat tip: Abe Greenwald)

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Here are some advance Obama speech excerpts.

Shorter Obama: Economy sucks. It’s all Bush’s fault. Don’t worry, be happy. Hope more. Spend more. Goodnight.

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Update: Matthews Declares Obama Speech ‘Churchillian’—Before It’s Delivered

Update: 9:00pm Eastern. Botox buddies Biden and Pelosi open up the joint session. My forehead hurts just looking at them both.

Obama is late. Enters at around 9:06pm Eastern. Taking his sweet, sweet time hugging every living being in the room.

Whoops. He stepped on Pelosi’s intro.

Up. Down. Up. Down. Applause.

“We’ll rebuild. We will recover. And America will emerge stronger than before.”

Up. Down. Applause. Up. down.

Blames lenders for preying on poor foreclosure victims.

Gag: Doesn’t believe in bigger government.

Update 9:34pm Eastern: More foreclosure victim talk. Obligatory private jet-bashing. Galling line about the “mountain of debt” future generations will inherit.

Update 10:00pm Eastern. Obama salutes the troops. Longest Democrats have ever applauded our troops in the last 8 years.